The Talika Saga
by Lisette
Summary: We always knew that Detective Elisa Maza was special in some way, besides being the friend of the Manhattan Clan, and now the clan is about to see how very special she is.
1. A Simple Kiss -- Part One

**"A Simple Kiss -- Part One"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on 9/09/97  
Revised on 5/03/01 

All the usual legalese: nothing here is of my creation. Aladdin and the Aladdin crew belong to Disney while Goliath and his crew belong to Disney/Buena Vista. No profit will be made by me. Also the song that I use is the property of Alison Krauss. 

Author's Note: In the Gargoyles Realm this can take place anytime after the "Hunter's Moon" incident and before "The Journey". As for Aladdin, we'll say anytime during the cartoon series, or after "The Return of Jafar" and before "The King of Thieves". 

Additional Note: It has been brought to my attention that some browsers may not be able to carry the heavy load of these stories. In hopes of helping with that problem, please go to my homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/lisette865/talika_index.htm to see a listing of all of my fiction. I hope that this helps everyone to enjoy my work, and if you have additional viewing troubles, please contact me at the above address so that I can better help you. Thank you. 

**RATING**: PG-13 

* * *

**_A Simple Kiss -- Part One_**

New York City, New York 

Covering a yawn, Elisa Maza slowly shook her head, her long black hair swirling around her shoulders as she turned to look at her partner, Matt Bluestone, out of the corner of her eye, all the while keeping a steady grip on the steering wheel. As usual, he looked like he was ready to fall asleep. Then again, that wasn't surprising considering the uneventful night that they'd been having -- not that she was complaining. Smiling, Elisa quickly reached down and snagged the tiny microphone that was pinned to her jacket lapel. "Hey guys," she said quietly, her eyes remaining their sharp fix on the dark road. 

"Yes," was Goliath's deep reply, whispering softly into her ear. She knew the large lavender gargoyle soared above them in the dark night sky, keeping a watchful eye on the red car with Brooklyn, his second-in-command. 

"Matt and I are going to make one last sweep of... **HOLY SHIT!!**" she broke off, cussing as something flew in front of her car. Gasping, her hands tightening on the steering will, Elisa slammed on the brakes, the tires squealing loudly as she and Matt were sent slamming against their restraining seat belts. 

"What in the hell was that?" Matt gasped, his face white as he quickly straightened, one hand positioned on the dash as he gently arched his sore shoulder, turning wide eyes to his partner, he pointed to the entrance to an old and run-down townhouse beside them -- the place where the thing disappeared, barely avoiding getting hit by the car. 

"I don't know," Elisa admitted, a hard frown pulling at her lips, "but it looked like one of those things from _Night of the Living Dead_," she muttered as they climbed from the car, eyes trained on the dark building. The townhouse seemed a stark contrast to the other dilapidated buildings that lined both sides of the residential street that they stood on, the beautiful and luxuriant neighborhood having long ago given way to the grime of the city at its worst. But even the large townhouse had been affected by the decline in the neighborhood, its paint cracked and peeling, the windows boarded and shattered, its door looming open and promising nothing but darkness and despair. 

"Elisa? Elisa!" 

Surprised, Elisa jumped slightly as Goliath pounded to the pavement behind them, his dark and worried eyes boring into her own as he quickly stepped forward and gripped her arms tightly. "What happened? Are you all right?" he demanded, his voice a low rumble. 

"We're all right Goliath," she replied slowly, brushing away his concern as she turned to gaze back towards the dark townhouse that the thing had disappeared into. 

"Well, what happened?" demanded Brooklyn as he landed next to Matt, his sharp eyes taking in the dark night. 

"I was driving when all of a sudden this _thing_ ran in front of the car!" Elisa quickly explained, her hands gesturing wildly as she shivered inwardly, hunching lower into her warm, red bomber jacket. "Didn't you guys see it?" 

"We saw nothing," Goliath responded for them, a frown pulling at his lips. "What did it look like?" he asked, his curiosity finally burning his fear away, arching his brow ridges as he turned towards the direction that Elisa's eyes seemed to be directed. 

"Man, from what I saw, it was _hideous_!" Matt broke in excitedly, capturing the attention of his gargoyle friends. "It looked like it had the body of a human, but all of the parts were sown on, like in _Frankenstein_!" he added, his excitement slowly dying away as he looked uneasily at the building -- this was even too weird for him. 

"Where did it go?" Brooklyn asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as well as he looked at the dark and quiet street. As the night had progressed the two detectives had been called to check out a robbery over in the warehouse section of town. On their way back, the red fairlane had slowly angled until it was cruising through a dark and dilapidated section of Manhattan, with large, run-down buildings looming over the deserted street on either side. 

"In there," Elisa murmured, nodding towards the largest of the buildings that stood off to their right, the front door left eerily open to the night. "Let's go check it out," she suggested, feeling a strange pull to the dark building. 

"Why not?" Brooklyn quipped as the group slowly walked to the townhouse, unconcerned about being seen in broad moonlight as there appeared to be no one around to witness anything at all. "It sure doesn't look like anyone's home..." he trailed off as they reached the gaping door. 

Wary, Goliath entered first, followed closely by Elisa and Matt, with Brooklyn bringing up the rear. Both detectives had their revolvers pulled and pointing towards the floor. 

The townhouse was old and in an obvious state if disrepair with dust covering the wooden floor in thick layers, making each footstep a trip through a cloudy haze. The group entered into what appeared to be some kind of foyer with two dark hallways leading off to their left and right and a grand staircase directly in front of them, leading up to a balcony which divided into two more hallways. 

"Now what?" Brooklyn asked quietly, unnerved by the eerie silence of the building. 

"I guess we split up..." Matt whispered, shrugging his shoulders as he began walking away from the group, clicking the safety off his gun as he went. "I'll take the hallway to the left," he offered uneasily, nodding back at the others. 

"I'll take this hallway," Brooklyn added as he slowly moved away towards the right. 

"And I guess that leaves us upstairs, Big Guy," Elisa said, turning to Goliath with a small smile as she nodded at the stairs. 

Sighing, Goliath slowly nodded in agreement. In truth, he didn't like the idea of the group splitting apart, alone with no one close by to help. Then again, with the townhouse being as large as it was, they had no choice but to go their separate ways in order to sweep through the house quickly. Before moving, he quickly turned towards the others. "If you find anything, just speak into your microphone and we will come to your aid," he ordered before leading the way up the dark staircase, cringing automatically as they creaked loudly with each of his heavy footsteps. When they reached the top, Elisa turned towards the right hallway and began moving away. "Elisa," Goliath called out softly, confused as he felt his heart clutch tightly in his chest at the sight of his friend moving off all on her own. 

"What?" Elisa whispered back, clicking off the safety to her gun as she peered down the dark hallway. 

"Be careful." 

Slightly surprised, Elisa stopped to give Goliath a quick and quirky smile before starting down the hallway -- they had been through so much together in the past that a smile was the only thing she needed to show in order to demonstrate her unflappable confidence. But as she walked, she silently cursed herself for not having a flashlight, the eerie darkness of the building beginning to gnaw at her nerves. 

At the first door, she followed police procedure, calling _Police, _kicking the door in and then running in low while covering herself with her gun. Finding the room devoid of all signs of life and creepy monsters, she quickly continued on her way. 

After about fifteen minutes, and many twists and turns later, she finally reached the last door. So far, she had found nothing at all and slowly her caution began to ebb as she became more and more convinced that what had ran before her car was really lurking behind the door of one of her friends and that she was missing all of the action. Oddly enough, that idea troubled her... she had always been one to partake in the action and be in the heat of an event -- the idea of sitting on the sidelines held no appeal to her. Which meant that she wanted to finish with this all the sooner and return to her friends. 

Gathering her courage, she paused before the door and took a deep breath. "Police!" she cried out as she shoved the door open and ran in... and then stopped as the darkness consumed her. In all of the other rooms, the bright moonlight had crept through the boarded up windows of the old mansion... but in this room there was nothing but an all abiding darkness that seemed to eat its way into her very soul. Turning, Elisa was about to retreat back to the door, preferring the dark shadows of the hall to this darkness when she heard a sudden bang. Gasping in surprise, she moved in the direction of door, stumbling hard against its closed surface and jarring her shoulder. 

Shaking away the stinging pain, the detective quickly pulled at the door handle, dismayed to find it locked and unmoving. Confused, she quickly struggled with the handle when the room began to lighten with an eerie light. Frightened, she turned around, her gun held tightly before her as she saw that the light was being given off by an old mirror that was attached to the far wall. Standing next to the old mirror were two of the things she had seen earlier, even uglier in the growing light. "What the-" she broke off as someone else stepped forth from the shadows. 

The man was tall, wearing baggy pants that reminded her of the rapper, MC Hammer, from the early 90s, and a flowing robe that looked to be entirely from another time. He was handsome, with long black hair, a pale complexion, yet with eyes so cold and hard that they tore away any physical attraction that was possible. Looking down, her cop's eye caught all details, including the fact that on one hand he was wearing a big black glove, kind of like a plumbers? 

Shaking the thoughts away, she grabbed her microphone and pulled it to her lips. "Um, guys... I think I have a problem here. I'm in a room with som-" was as far as she got before the man extended his hand, a bright bolt of energy shooting forth, pulling the microphone from its place on her jacket and ripping the earpiece from her in turn. 

Gasping in surprise, Elisa watched as the microphone drifted towards the strange man until it landed in his grip. Without even glancing in her direction, he quickly looked down at the object in mild curiosity. "Now what is this?" he asked, his question quickly dying away as Goliath's tinny voice traveled from the earpiece, mixing together with Matt and Brooklyn's. "What sorcery is this?" he muttered as he quickly crushed the little device in his hand, obviously pleased when the voices died with his might. 

Unperturbed, Elisa fought her growing anxiety and instead hid it behind a casual shrug. After all of the weird encounters that she'd had over the last few years, she had long ago learned that confidence was the key... either that or a stubborn pride that refused to allow her to openly demonstrate a weakness before an enemy. "Another child of Oberon, I suppose," was Elisa's sarcastic reply as she slowly straightened, her gun held firmly before her as the man turned his attention back towards her once again. "You would think that Lord Oberon would be able to keep a better handle on his children-" 

"Oberon? Who is this Oberon?" the man asked quietly, his voice a soothing baritone as it filled the room, his head tilting to the side as his black hair tumbled around his shoulders. And then, before she could answer he quickly shook his head and continued. "Ah, it doesn't matter. I am Mozenrath, and I've traveled quite a distance to find you, Elisa." 

Gasping in surprise, Elisa quickly shook her head. "How do you know my name?" she demanded, her eyes flashing angrily as she eyed him over, her grip tightening on the gun. If the goon wasn't with Oberon, that left plenty other enemies for him to work for: Demona, Sevarious... even Xanatos was a possibility, even though he swore that he had changed. 

"Never mind that," Mozenrath quickly responded, "you must come with me now." 

"Oh, I don't think so," she replied with her usual display of Maza stubbornness, tightening her hold on her gun defensively. Smiling, she cocked the weapon and nodded towards the monsters standing beside him. "I want either you or one of your.. goons, to unlock the door," she ordered. To her surprise, though, the man didn't even flinch at her weapon, but instead stared at it in confusion, as though he'd never seen one before. And then, before anything more could be said or done he quickly snapped his fingers as a strange mist formed around her hand. Quickly, her hands became numb with cold and gasping, she dropped her gun in shock. 

"That's better," he replied. "Get her," he said nonchalantly to his ghoulish-looking friends. 

As the two things moved towards her, a sudden pounding started on the door. "Elisa?!" she heard Goliath yell. 

"Uh Goliath, get in here please, I could really use your assistance about now!" she cried, her voice rising as the things grabbed her arms tightly, pinching her soft skin beneath the thick layer of her jacket. Fighting against their grasps, she knocked one across the room, and used a roundhouse kick on the next. As they came at her again, not even stunned, she yanked on the arm of one who grabbed her. Yelling in disgust, she tried to pull him away. But that thought was quickly dismissed as she screamed in terror as the arm ripped out, dropping the moving limb to the floor. 

"Elisa! Hold on, we're coming!" Matt yelled from the other side of the door. 

"My, my," Mozenrath said as he watched the beautiful one he had been searching for, the one called Elisa Maza, quickly dispense of his zombies. "She's even more feisty than Jasmine. I didn't think they could come even worse," he mused before an evil grin lit up his face. "That's okay, I like feistiness in a woman," he laughed as he quickly turned to the mirror as more of his army stepped through the portal. With the gathered men, or the un-dead, they quickly overpowered her. 

Screaming, Elisa fought with all of her might as the things grabbed her arms fiercely and pulled her towards the mirror. "Goliath!" she screamed as the one called Mozenrath stepped into the blinding light and disappeared. "**_NO!!_**" she cried one last time as she was shoved through the portal, only to be sucked up into a bright nothingness...

* * *

As Goliath searched the hallways, he kept his eyes peeled for the strange beings that had surprised Matt and Elisa -- an event that probably rarely happened. Suddenly, his microphone came to life as Elisa's quiet voice broke the silence, "Um, guys... I think I have a problem here. I'm in a room with som-" was all he caught before the mike went quiet. "Elisa?!" Goliath quickly growled into his tiny device. When there was no response, Goliath did a quick about-face and headed back towards the stairs, with Matt and Brooklyn's voices echoing in his ears. 

When he reached the stairs many twists and turns later, he found a confused and worried Brooklyn and Matt waiting for him. "Goliath, what happened?" Brooklyn asked quickly. 

"Where's Elisa?" Matt asked simultaneously. 

"Down this way.. hurry!" Goliath called as he rushed down the hall in the direction that Elisa had run, knowing that the other two would follow as fast as they could. If anything happened to her... if anything happened to her Goliath didn't know what he would do. He never should have left her side. 

The three hurried down the hall, looking for their lost friend as they were drawn by sounds of a struggle. Finally, they came to the last door in the hallway, the sounds from within reverberating in the wood. "Elisa?!" Goliath yelled as he started pounding at the door. 

"Uh Goliath, get in here please, I could really use your assistance about now!" came the muffled reply from behind the door. 

Needing no further encouragement, Goliath and Brooklyn quickly started pounding on the door, amazed that the simple wooden door could hold under their combined strength. "It must be some sort of magic," Brooklyn mumbled aloud, his face clouding in confusion. 

"Quiet!" Matt hissed, shocking his friends into silence as he put his ear against the door. Too surprised to disobey, quiet quickly settled over the three as Goliath and Brooklyn glanced warily at the wooden barrier. As they listened they heard struggling from the other side of the door, and then the quiet was once more broken, only this time by a terrified scream from Elisa. "Elisa! Hold on, we're coming!" Matt yelled frantically at the door as their efforts to get inside were doubled. Elisa, the picture of calm fighting in the face of adversary, would never scream... which had them more worried then ever before. 

Still, the door wouldn't budge and they could only listen helplessly as Elisa struggled against something that only Matt had glimpsed. Startled, Brooklyn stopped his pounding as he heard Elisa start to scream frantically. 

Goliath growled low and his eyes lit up a fierce white as he heard Elisa yell, "Goliath! No!!" followed by a sudden silence. But the silence was worse, somehow, then the sounds of the struggle. Growling even lower, Goliath charged the door, only to fly right through it as it disintegrated beneath his weight. Unable to stop his momentum, Goliath flew forward and slid across the floor of the empty room.. 

"Where is she?" Matt cried frantically, finding a dark and empty room instead of the battle scene he expected to encounter. Except for an old mirror secured to the wall, the place was empty. "It's like she disappeared," he whispered, shaking his head in confusion. 

Goliath looked around in amazement, seeing nothing but an empty room. Where could she be? She was right here, so close -- he had heard her... and now he had lost her. Suddenly, a flash of light caught his eye, swiveling him around so that he faced the mirror against the wall. Cautiously, he walked towards it as it started to glow a hazy green light. 

"What on Earth?" Brooklyn said, backing away from the eerie light. "Is it one of Titania's mirrors?" he asked uncertainly, wanting to pull his leader away from the witch-light. 

"I do not know," Goliath growled, "but I am going to find out," he vowed as tentatively, he reached his hand towards the glass, only to watch it pass right through. "I think we have found where Elisa was taken," he whispered, knowing instantly that he was right. And then, with no other thought on his mind but his missing friend, her screams echoing within him, Goliath jumped into the mirror, his eyes glowing a hot-white. 

"Goliath!" Brooklyn shouted weakly, jumping forward as his leader disappeared in a flash of light. 

"He just..." Matt trailed off, shaking his head in disbelief. It seemed so un-like the large, gargoyle leader to dash into such a situation with having no clue whatsoever what was going on. 

"I know," Brooklyn sighed as he slowly shrugged his shoulders. "But what's a gargoyle to do?" he questioned before following his leader. 

Looking around, Matt sighed, "Well, they're not going to leave me behind this time. All I can say is that we better end up in a nice warm climate, like Hawaii, otherwise this Avalon stuff is not worth it," he griped to the now-deserted room. With that, Matt jumped into the mirror and was sucked away...

* * *

The next thing Elisa knew, Elisa felt herself being catapulted from a mirror that was stuck to a stone wall. Crying out, Elisa felt dozens of arms cushion her fall and then quickly envelop her in their midst. Too confused to struggle, she felt a dozen different arms seize onto her from all sides before shoving her forward, moving her from within a tight circle of bodies. Blinking against the sudden bright sun, she looked at her new surroundings as she stumbled through a hot sand, kicking up clouds of dust as they went as a blinding heat seemed to squeeze the air from her lungs. They were in some kind of alley, she saw, surrounded on both sides by two-story buildings that were made out of a reddish clay or rock. Everywhere she looked was dirt and sand, which gleamed a bright yellowish red under the beating sun. _Sun?_ she realized for the first time, jerking her head back to stare at the bright-yellow orb until spots of light danced in her vision. It was supposed to be in the middle of the night in the grime of New York City, yet here it looked like high noon in a desert town, unlike any she had ever seen before, with a bright sun beating down out of a blue cloudless sky. 

Then, Elisa was quickly brought back to reality as her captors started pulling and yanking her roughly towards a crowded street. Looking around, she noticed that her captors were now all wearing plain brown robes, which completely hid their gruesome appearances. Struggling, the group entered the busy marketplace, just as a green flash appeared at their backs... none noticed.

* * *

As Goliath rushed through the portal, he quickly felt himself being propelled forward through the bright green light. As the green lifted, he found himself pushed forward into the middle of some alley. But this was as much as he noticed before the sun turned him to stone.

* * *

As Matt was thrown through the portal, bright light enveloped him and seared his vision -- which prevented him from seeing the massive rock that he was smashed into. Landing in a heap on the sandy ground, Matt dizzyingly looked up to see the massive stone forms of Goliath and Brooklyn before him, obvious surprise written on their craggy granite features. "Oh no," he groaned to himself, massaging his aching limbs. Sighing, he slowly began to pull his aching body off of the ground when he heard Elisa call out. Turning quickly, he saw a strand of her long, raven hair disappear around the corner of the alleyway, entering some kind of bustling street beyond. 

Without a second thought to his bizarre surroundings, he quickly ran forward into the throng of people in the crowded street. As he pushed through the people, looking for Elisa, he was amazed by the sights and sounds that greeted his senses. He seemed to be in some kind of a marketplace, where everywhere he looked were people dressed in strange robes, selling items ranging from scarves, to jewelry, to fruit, to fish! As he scanned the crowd, he noticed the many looks he was drawing to himself. What a stir he must be making, he thought to himself, for instead of the traditional robes and baggy pants that he saw everywhere, he was wearing his traditional suit pants, white shirt, tie, with a billowing trench coat following in his wake. Instead of the tanned Indian faces he saw everywhere, his pale face was a stark comparison. Where everyone else had black hair, he had blondish red. 

Just then, he noticed Elisa's dark head being pushed into an alley farther ahead. On all sides she was surrounded by robed figures. Struggling with the crowd, he pushed ahead.

* * *

Streets of Agrabah 

As Aladdin sat on the roof of one of the many stands of the market, he lazily watched the crowd. _Now where on earth could Jasmine be?_ he asked himself as his eyes roamed over the crowd of people. Shrugging his shoulders, he took another bite of his piece of fruit as he turned to his monkey friend Abu. "Do you see her anywhere?" he asked between a mouthful of food. 

Abu turned to his friend and shook his head quickly before eyeing the wealth of food that was displayed at the different vendors before him. Aladdin could just see the gears turning in the monkey's head, trying to figure out a way to take just a bit of what he saw. 

"Abu," he warned quietly, about to start into a lecture on stealing when his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a woman with long, flowing black hair. _Jasmine? No, can't be, _he decided before turning to Carpet and Abu. "Hey guys!" Aladdin called out, nodding in the direction of the woman. "Is that her?" he questioned as the two turned and looked at where Aladdin was pointing. In response, Abu quickly shook his head and started to do a wolf whistle. 

Laughing, Aladdin tapped his friend lightly on his hat. "You're right," he agreed with a smile, "she sure is beautiful -- and not Jasmine," he stated. But then, squinting, he looked closer as he noticed that she was surrounded by a group in hooded robes, being forced into an alley. _Now what do you suppose is going on here?_

Turning quickly, Aladdin grabbed Abu and jumped onto Carpet. "It seems that our lady friend might need our assistance," he explained as they soared towards the distant alley.

* * *

Being shoved and pulled in the middle of a crowded market place in only God knows where with the hot sun beating down on her dark head was really starting to wear on Elisa's nerves. _This is really what I needed tonight, I mean today_, she corrected herself as she was once more pushed, this time into another alley. As the strange things pulled her forward, the leader pulled his hood off, revealing the man who called himself Mozenrath. 

"It's about time we should be getting out of Agrabah and back to my place. What do you think, Elisa Maza?" he asked as he threw a ball to the ground. As a bright light exploded up from the ground, Elisa gasped and covered her eyes from the brightness. When she opened them, she was faced once again with another portal. 

"That's it!" she cried, surprising her captors. While she had been too surprised to do a whole lot of fighting up to this point, she had finally reached her breaking point as she shrugged against the monsters' restraining hands. "I've had enough of this," she cried as she elbowed her guards, clearing some space for fighting around her. "I am _not_ going through another stupid portal," she stated matter of factly as she dropped low, her eyes glittering dangerously, her muscles tensed. Instantly, the stupid beings began to move clumsily towards her, causing her to launch into action. Within seconds, the guards began to fall as the body parts started to build up on the dusty ground around her, soft grunts the only sound besides the monsters' angry roars.. 

"Hey!" someone yelled from behind her, throwing her off guard. Startled, Elisa turned around to find a man standing firmly on a carpet that was _floating_ off the ground at the far-side of the alley. To top it off, there was a little monkey wearing clothes standing next to him with his hands on his hips. 

"What the-" Elisa broke off in confusion, the distraction being all that one of the Morlacs needed as she dropped her defensive posture for a moment. Moving quickly, it stepped forward and gripped her shoulders from behind, lifting her in the air and tossing her effortlessly towards a wall. Elisa could only watch helplessly as the wall rushed to meet her. Crying out, the contact brought a stinging explosion of pain as the world went dark.

* * *

_ Oops_, Aladdin thought to himself as the startled woman was picked up by one of the Morlacs and tossed into a wall. Cringing, he watched as she smashed her head and body against its unforgiving, hard surface before slumping unconscious to the ground. Turning back, he felt a wave of amazement build within him as he noticed now that probably only a fourth of the army of Morlacs remained -- apparently he had interrupted the woman taking care of herself. 

"Aladdin! What are you doing here?!" a familiar voice called out, surprising Aladdin as he looked towards the young man who stood by a glowing portal. 

"Mozenrath!" Aladdin growled, his brows becoming hunched as he glared at his enemy. 

"This is none of your concern!" Mozenrath warned, his arms crossing over his chest, meeting Aladdin's glare. "I'm not here to fight you or your precious princess, so just back off!" he added fiercely, a steely glint in his eye. 

"I don't think so, Mozenrath! Whenever you're concerned, I make it my business!" Aladdin argued as Carpet surged forward. "Guards!" he yelled over his shoulder, knowing that it was his best defense. 

Then, as if just waiting outside the mouth of the alley, a swarm of palace guards rushed in behind Aladdin. Growling, Mozenrath considered his situation. Most of his army was defeated due to the woman, and they were outnumbered due to the numerous guards getting ready to attack. Elisa Maza's sprawled form was laying behind the guards, with the burly men surrounding her prone body. With a snarl of frustration, Mozenrath knew that it didn't take a genius to figure out that he couldn't win this one.. not today. Quickly he turned towards his portal, stopping briefly to glare at his young rival. "This isn't over Aladdin!" he warned, his eyes like steel. "I've traveled a long ways to get her, and don't think that you're going to stop me now that I'm this close!" he hissed, and with a final dirty glance, he turned and stepped through the portal, followed by his men with the portal closing behind him.

* * *

Sighing in relief, Aladdin balanced himself as Carpet descended beside the unconscious woman. Curious, he and the guards studied her. She was a sight, he admitted to himself. Beside being exotically beautiful, the woman was dressed in pants that fit very close to her body, made of a strange material. On top she was wearing some sort of black shirt with shorter sleeves and a red coat of some sort. With guilt, he also noticed the small cut on her forehead which was partly covered by her long black hair. 

"Now what do we do with her?" one of the guards asked, voicing everyone's concern. 

Sighing, Aladdin made a decision as he reached down and lifted the stranger into his arms, noting that she was as light as Jasmine. Sighing once more, he turned to the leader of the guards, feeling somehow as though he was responsible for her position. "I'm taking her back to the palace with me," he stated as he glanced at her strange clothing once more. "She doesn't look like she's from around here, and if Mozenrath wants her, then the palace will be the safest place for her." 

As the guard nodded in agreement and left with his troops, Aladdin hopped lightly onto Carpet, settling into a firm position on his knees, the woman cradled before him. "Back to the palace," he stated when he was sure that they weren't going to fall off, as Carpet slowly began lifting into the air. "I hope that Jasmine understands..."

* * *

Fretting silently to himself, Matt knew that he was taking too long. He couldn't help it though, as the people weren't letting him through fast enough -- constantly stopping to gape and chatter about him. "Move, MOVE!" he cried in frustration, pushing them aside until he finally reached the alley that he saw Elisa disappear into. But as he rounded the corner, he felt himself start at the sight before him. 

It was empty. The alley was empty... save for several dozen body parts that looked like they were on the way to decomposing that were littered on the ground -- yet there was no blood to be seen anywhere. Suddenly, a slight rustle of wind in the stale heat caused him to look up from the gruesome sight. Gasping in amazement, he saw a man with longish black hair in baggy pants and a vest sitting on a carpet which was _flying_ towards a distant castle. Cradled in his arms was an unconscious Elisa... and a monkey wearing a matching vest sitting before him. "What the hell?" he asked aloud, his eyes widening in disbelief. UFOs and aliens were one thing... but walking corpses and flying carpets? 

Shaking his head, Matt slowly rubbed aching muscles. He knew that he couldn't help Elisa now which meant that he could do the only thing he did know how to do... he walked back to the alley where his stone friends were sleeping. He'd just have to wait for the reinforcements to awaken, and keep them safe in the meantime.

* * *

As Goliath slept, he dreamt of the night before. He had gone to Elisa's apartment before sunrise, wanting to talk with her before sleep would take him. As he had landed on her balcony, he had heard a strange sort of music float out from her open balcony door. Curious, he had entered quietly and found Elisa sitting before her stereo, her head tilted and eyes closed as she listened to the strange music. "What is this?" he had rumbled, startling his friend. 

Elisa had quickly turned towards him, a small smile on her face. "Goliath!" she cried warmly, climbing to her feet. "I wasn't expecting you tonight." 

"Yes, well I wanted to see you before dawn," Goliath had explained quietly as he stepped further into the room. "I can leave if you are busy-" 

"Don't be silly Goliath," she had laughed as she walked towards him, setting her hand casually on his arm, "I'm glad you're here, I was just surprised." 

Trying to ignore the tingles that her touch had ignited within him, Goliath had tilted his head as he asked curiously, "Elisa, what is this that you are listening to?" 

"Oh, this?" she had asked, nodding her head at the stereo. "The singer's name is Alison Krauss -- she does a kind of mix between country and blue grass." 

"Oh.." Goliath had trailed off, not knowing the difference between this 'country' music or this 'blue grass'.. but not wanting to admit to his ignorance. There were already far too many things in this new world that he was trying to adjust to. 

"Here, I want you to listen to this one for me," she had said, interrupting his thoughts as she turned back to the stereo, a small smile on her face. 

"Why?" he had asked, curious despite himself. 

"Well, you'll see..." she had responded vaguely, a small blush staining her cheeks. Amused, Goliath had slowly nodded his head. It wasn't often that he saw Elisa blush. "Listen," she had whispered as she pushed play. Instantly, the music began to play forth from the stereo. Interested, Goliath had cocked his head to the side and listened.

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart._  
_Without saying a word you can light up the dark._  
_Try as I may I could never explain_  
_What I hear when you don't say a thing._

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me._  
_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me._  
_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall._  
_You say it best when you say nothing at all._

_All alone I can hear people talking about..._  
_But when you hold me near you can drown out the crowd._  
_Oh Mister Webster could never define_  
_What's being said between your heart and mine._

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me._  
_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me._  
_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall._  
_You say it best when you say nothing at all._

From here, Goliath's dream-time remembrance of that night changed into a nightmare. Instead of turning back to him with a smile and a short conversation before he returned to the Eyrie building, her apartment disappeared from view. In its place was a lonely cliff on a dark and windy night. Standing at the cliff's edge was Elisa, her long black hair tousling in the wind. Then, next to Elisa appeared Demona who turned towards Elisa with a ferocious growl. As the two fought, Goliath rushed towards them, but as most dreams go, he could never reach them. 

"Now you will die _human_!" Demona screeched at Elisa. 

"I don't think so, Demona," Elisa cried back, panting from the exertion of the fight. 

"I want you to die before Goliath's eyes so that he will see you for the weak human that you are," Demona yelled, a smile lighting up her face as she pushed Elisa closer to the edge. 

"Demona, no!" Goliath yelled desperately. 

"Shut up Goliath!" Demona snarled back at him, "If you had never met this human, then she wouldn't have to die. Her death will be on your head forever!" 

"No, I... I _love_ her!!!" Goliath roared, realizing at that moment that he was speaking the truth that he had been keeping hidden within his heart for so long, not quite believing that it could be true. 

But that one admission was the final straw for Demona. With a scream of rage, she gave one final push to the detective, sending Elisa flying over the edge of the cliff. Yet with that push, whatever force that was holding Goliath broke as he rushed to the edge of the cliff and dove over. Further down he could see Elisa falling closer and closer to the rocks lining the bottom of the gorge. 

"Elisa, I cannot catch you, I cannot make it!" Goliath roared, knowing the truth even as he struggled to go faster down the fall then gravity would permit him. 

Turning in a graceful arc before hitting the bottom, Elisa called up to him in a voice filled with anguish and accusation, tears glinting in her eyes, "Goliath, remember the song? I said that I knew you would 'catch me ever I fall'.... I guess I was wrong!" 

And with her final breath she cursed him and herself for ever meeting him as her beautiful body was smashed against the unforgiving rocks.

* * *

"**_Noooooo!!_**" Goliath roared as the rock casing broke loose from around him, scattering in all directions as he woke from his stone sleep. 

"Whoa!" Matt Bluestone cried out as he dodged the flying stone particles. "Take it easy big guy, we're all friends here!" he gasped, brushing the loose stone from his clothing 

Concerned, Brooklyn watched as Goliath growled softly, his eyes unfocused and glowing white. Carefully, he edged up to his leader and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Goliath? Are you all right?" he asked, watching as his the light slowly died from his eyes, sanity seeming to return once more. 

Sighing, Goliath nodded his head slowly and muttered a promise under his breath, "I will catch you Elisa, always..." Confused, the two gave each other concerned glanced as Goliath shook his head once more to clear the nightmare before quickly turning to Matt. "What happened? Where is Elisa?" 

Allowing the matter to go for the moment, Matt quickly scratched his head as he surveyed the now-dark alley. "When we came through the mirror, it was day here so you guys turned to stone," he explained, nodding towards the bright moon above them. "When I came through, I saw Elisa being pulled around the corner of the alley. I followed as fast as I could, but the street was crowded with people and I couldn't get to her in time..." he trailed off, shame filling him once more for letting his partner down. 

"What happened?" Brooklyn asked, noticing that Goliath was getting impatient. 

"I saw her being dragged into another alley by a group of people in robes. When I finally got there, I found body parts strewn all over the place-" 

"Gross," Brooklyn interrupted, his beak scrunching up in disgust. 

"Yeah, but the funny thing was there wasn't any blood," Matt added, mimicking Brooklyn's disgust and confusion. 

But at the mention of body parts, Goliath's fist had clenched as his eyes returned to that same bright white. "Was Elisa...?" 

"Oh, no -- no," Matt quickly cut in, knowing what Goliath was going to ask and shaking from the very thought. If he had found Elisa amongst the dead... no, that would have been too much. "No, Goliath, don't worry. They all looked really decomposed -- kind of like they belonged to one of those things that ran by Elisa's car last night." 

"Oh yeah," Brooklyn agreed, rolling his eyes in disgust. "I almost forgot all about them. They're what got us into this mess in the first place," he added, his voice more subdued. 

"It was a trap," Goliath added silently, feeling the confusion of the other two. "The monster that run in front of the car," he explained, feeling a deep-set feeling of dread build within him, "it was all just part of a trap set up for Elisa. 

"But _why_" Matt asked, vocalizing the same question that had been plaguing him while he waited for the other two to awaken. "Why Elisa, why here, and why now? Where ARE we? 'Cause it sure ain't New York city or ANY part of the US that I've ever seen before..." 

Sighing, Goliath slowly shook his head. He had no answers for his friend. "What else happened, where was Elisa?" he demanded, getting back to the matter at hand. They could figure out all of the whys and wherefores later. 

Wincing, Matt slowly closed his eyes as he straightened his shoulders, like he was preparing himself for the worst. In a way, he was. Goliath was NOT going to take this news well. "Some guy took her... she didn't look conscious." 

"_What?!_" Goliath growled, throwing his wings back in an angry gesture. "Why did you not go and get her back?" 

"How could I?" Matt asked defensively, wincing at the gargoyle's words. He knew intellectually that there was no way he could have helped his partner, but that didn't stop the guilt that he was feeling. "The guy was sitting on a freaking magic carpet that was flying away!!" 

"Magic carpet?" Brooklyn asked curiously, his calm voice a surprising difference in the heated argument. 

"Well, that's the only way that I can think of to define the stupid thing," Matt hissed, crossing his arms defensively across his chest as he kicked angrily at the ground, scowling at the clouds of dust. 

"No, I don't understand... what's a 'magic carpet'?" Brooklyn asked again, oblivious to the obvious tension of his comrades. 

Surprised, Matt felt his anger ebb slightly as he sighed wearily once again. "Well, it looked like a normal rug, except that it was floating in the air," he explained quietly, his eyes darting occasionally to Goliath's stormy countenance. "But they're not supposed to exist -- they're fantasy." 

"Like gargoyles and magic portals?" Brooklyn offered skeptically, finally managing a small smile from the detective. 

"Touché," Matt acknowledged as Goliath finally seemed to get a hold of himself. 

"From the looks of our surroundings," he rumbled softly, nodding apologetically at the man, "it seems that you are right that we are no longer in the United States." 

"Or this continent," Matt agreed quietly. "Everyone around here is tan with dark hair. Also, they're all wearing strange clothing... really baggy pants, with robes or vests. And that's the guys. The women are all wearing robes or next to nothing," he added, trying to stop his wolfish smile in light of the situation. "And get this," he added, pulling Brooklyn's attention away from their desolate surroundings. At sunset, the place was deserted. "Well," he continued, "the guy who had Elisa had a monkey with him. A monkey wearing clothes," he deadpanned. 

But before Brooklyn could respond, Goliath quickly cut in. "Never mind all of that. We can sort through this later," he ordered, his eyes turning to the human detective. "Matt, did you see where Elisa was taken," he asked impatiently. 

"Yeah, that's why I waited for you guys," Matt nodded, getting down to business. "I don't think that we could get in there except to fly -- the place looks heavily fortified," he explained, nodding in the direction of the distant palace. "He took her to that big castle." 

"Well then," Brooklyn said, accepting the news as it was handed to him as he started climbing the wall beside him, his talons crunching into the soft stone, "the monkey man is waiting for us." 

With that, Goliath slung Matt over his back and started to climb. When they reached the roof, Brooklyn and Goliath soared into the night, Matt held firmly by Goliath. The palace was awaiting them.

* * *

The Palace, Agrabah 

As the misty fog lifted from Elisa's mind, she stretched leisurely on her soft, silken sheets as she reached for Cagney -- and froze instantly. _Silken sheets?_ Gasping, the memories of the past night's activities flooded Elisa's mind as her eyes bolted open, sitting up straight as she instantly took stock of her surroundings. Everywhere she looked she saw marble and silken veils. "What in the hell?" she muttered as she shifted, noting that she was lying in a bed with a thin, silken sheet tossed aside in her haste. The room was huge and spacious with columns everywhere and a ceiling that towered above her. 

"Weird," she muttered to herself as she pulled back the covers and slid towards the edge of the bed, warily noting that she seemed to be alone in the cavernous room. But then, as her feet touched the cool marble floor, Elisa got her first good look at herself as her wary frown instead turned into a deep, burgundy blush. Instead of her usual jeans, tee shirt, and red jacket, she was now wearing some kind of silken and billowing dark blue pants with a top that was akin to a tank top. It was sleeveless, but more like a halter top in a matching dark blue color, her bare belly uncovered from right below her breasts to below her belly button. _Hmm, can we say scanty?_ she asked herself as she arched her eyebrow at her bare midriff. Her feet were equally as bare, cool on the cold marble floor. _Lovely_, she sighed as she picked her way around the room, further exploring her surroundings. 

Suddenly, a huge door to her right opened as two young people entered the room. Surprised, Elisa backed up a few paces as she took in the two. The woman was young was beautiful in the soft light, dressed in a similar but pink fashion with long black hair pulled back into some sort of long pony tail. Yet next to her, of even more interest, Elisa recognized the cute young man that had called out during the fight, dressed in a similar pair of billowing pants and a vest. 

"Well, Aladdin, I see that our mystery woman has awakened," the woman said in a soft, musical voice to the man beside her, a soft smile on her face. With an ease and grace uncommon to most she walked up to Elisa and extended her hand. "Hello, I am Princess Jasmine of Agrabah. And this," she said, nudging the man beside her, "is Aladdin." 

"Whoa," Elisa said, shaking her head as she ignored the woman's hand and backed up a few paces. While the smile seemed genuine, the memory of being hauled through an old mirror by a stranger was still all to fresh in her mind. "Princess? Agrabah?" she asked slowly, shaking free of her thoughts as she realized the woman's words, taking in the bizarre room once more. "Where in the heck am I?" 

"You're in the palace," Aladdin quickly cut in, concern coloring his voice. "I brought you here after you were knocked unconscious during the fight..." he trailed off as a bright flush covered his features. "I'm sorry, but I don't even know your name," he added sheepishly. 

Instantly, Elisa felt her eyes narrow as she glared at the two. "I'm Detective Elisa Maza, and where in the hell is Agrabah?" she coldly asked, knowing that her anger at the two was probably unfounded, but after all that she had been through, she felt that it was justified. "The last thing that I remember was that I was in New York City, in the state of New York in the United States of America, on the continent of North America on the planet _Earth_," she hissed sarcastically, "when I was _dragged_ through a mirror by some jerk named Mozenrath in an abandoned townhouse!" she finished with a flourish. "I don't know where I am or where my friends are and they're probably going crazy looking for me!" she continued, feeling the headache that had been with her since awakening sharpen into a sharp flare of pain. Wincing, she closed her eyes briefly before turning to glare at the man, "And I was almost free when **_he_**," she bit out sarcastically, looking at Aladdin, "decided to show up." 

"Wow," Aladdin breathed, stepping back a bit under her tirade of heated words. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but it looked like you were in trouble, and I just wanted to help--" 

"Wait, wait," Jasmine interrupted, holding her hands up in confusion as she looked at the woman curiously. "I've never heard of the places you've mentioned," she replied, sending Aladdin a worried glance. 

Startled out of his apology, Aladdin slowly shook his head as he thought back to the woman's words. Then, as realization dawned upon him, he nodded in agreement before turning to his girlfriend. "Well, Mozenrath did say that he had traveled a long way to get her," he pointed out quietly. 

"Oh boy," Elisa sighed before shaking her head curtly. "This doesn't really matter now, I have to go find my friends." 

"Well, we'd like to help you out any way that we can," Jasmine broke in earnestly, smiling shyly at the stranger. "But if Mozenrath wants you," she continued, her voice dropping a note or two as a scowl twisted her beautiful face, "then he'll stop at nothing to get you back... trust me, I know from firsthand experience." she said, remembering all of his foiled attempts to bring her back to his palace. 

"Thank you... Princess..." Elisa began, finally realizing that she was indeed in the presence of royalty -- or so it seemed.

"Please, don't call me Princess," Jasmine quickly interrupted. "If I can call you Elisa, then you may call me Jasmine," she instructed with a small smile. "And you may call my boyfriend," she said, turning to Aladdin with a sly glance, "Aladdin." 

"So, then you're a prince?" Elisa asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow at Aladdin's clothing. 

"Well, no..." Aladdin replied with a slight laugh as he smiled at Jasmine warmly, "but that's a long story." 

Nodding her head, Elisa quickly continued. "But I'm not worried about him... I just need to find my friends. Goliath, Matt, and Brooklyn are going to be very mad about now, and trust me... you don't want to see Goliath or Brooklyn angry." 

Nodding her head in understanding, Jasmine opened her hands wide. "If you can give me a description, I can pass it along to the palace guards..." 

"Trust me," Elisa broke in with a knowing smile, "when you see my friends, you'll know." 

"What do y--" was as far as Aladdin got before a shattering roar broke the tranquility of the palace. 

"Elisa!!!" the voice screamed, causing Aladdin and Jasmine to jump back in surprise, their eyes growing wide.

"Goliath!" Elisa yelled, recognizing his cry anywhere as she hurried towards an balcony, the opening covered by a set of billowing veils. As she reached the balcony, Elisa felt Aladdin and Jasmine step beside her, all peering down below where they saw two giant winged creatures and a man dressed in a similar fashion to what Elisa had been wearing when she first arrived. The greater of the two creatures, a tall lavender creation, looked up at the sound of Elisa's voice. 

"If those are her friends... I'd hate to see her enemies," Aladdin whispered to Jasmine, right before receiving a vicious elbow to his side. 

* * *

Growling softly into the night, Goliath ignored the clamoring of guards, armed with pointed spears and swords, that began to gather around them. His mind's shouted warnings of caution were thrown to the side as he allowed his instinct and emotions to guide him, following the sound of Elisa's cry as looked up the great height of the tower before him, rewarded with seeing Elisa's beautiful face, framed by her billowing hair in the soft moonlight. Then, before the guards could advance, Goliath jumped to the wall with another roar and began to climb up the smooth surface, his claws puncturing the rock with ease. 

In seconds Goliath reached the balcony, watching as Elisa edged away as he jumped over the banister and stood before her. "Elisa?" he murmured questioningly as she came to him, laying her head against his massive chest as he held her close against him, putting his wings around her in a gesture of protection and care, lost to the world... until he heard the ragged breathing of the two humans that stood with them on the balcony, one holding and sheltering the other. With a deep growl, he matched Matt's description of the man who took Elisa with the one holding on to the human woman. Quickly, he moved Elisa until she was standing, protected, behind him. 

Elisa, understanding his protective gesture, quickly put two and two together. "Goliath," she called, pushing her way between him and the bewildered couple, "It's all right... they're friends," she explained, smiling up at the large gargoyle. 

"Are you sure?" Goliath asked uncertainly, eying the young human. "Matt saw him taking you away from us," he growled softly before turning away from them, holding Elisa at arms length as he searched her face quickly. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, looking for injuries and ignoring her protests. When he found the cut on her forehead, his head jerked up to look at the two again as his eyes began to glow a bright white. 

"Goliath! Listen to me!" Elisa commanded firmly, finally capturing the gargoyle's attention as his eyes returned to their normal dark shade. "Aladdin saved me," she said, throwing a wry glance at Aladdin, not entirely sure if what Aladdin did constituted as saving. 

But just then, the two turned around as a loud thump echoed on the balcony from behind them. There before them stood a winded Brooklyn and a harried Matt. 

"Matt! Brooklyn!" Elisa called out happily, pushing away from her protector to give each a hug. 

"Elisa??" they both called out at the same time, looking her up and down in amazement. 

It was then that Elisa's clothing finally registered in Goliath's mind. "It is.. very suiting towards you," Goliath stammered, amazed at her beauty in the skimpy garments. 

Instnatly, Elisa blushed a deep red as Jasmine came to her rescue. "When Aladdin brought her back, her clothing was torn and dirty, so I gave her something of mine," she explained quickly, catching Elisa's thankful smile. 

Surprised, Matt looked up at the woman's voice, not noticing the two others with them. "Hey!" he called instantly, locking eyes with Aladdin, "that's the guy that took Elisa!" 

"No, hold it! It's all right!" Elisa called out quickly. "They're friends," she stressed again with an impatient sigh, feeling her headache beginning to pound once more. 

"What?!" Matt cried out in disbelief, watching his partner carefully. "But I saw him fly away on his... flying rug with his little monkey!"

This time, it was Elisa's turn to carefully inspect her partner before turning her skeptic glance to Goliath. "Are we all sure that _I'm_ the one who hit my head?" she asked with a small smirk as Aladdin broke in with a slight cough.

"I think," he said, a smile lighting up his handsome face, "that we have a lot of explaining to do. Why don't we head inside?" 

"Um, before we do..." Matt broke in quietly, turning to Elisa with a worried frown, "do you suppose you could tell us where we are, or at least what continent we're on? 'Cause from the looks of things, I'd have to guess the middle east-" 

"Matt," Elisa broke in slowly, turning to face the group as she chewed her lip thoughtfully, "I don't think that we're even in the right dimension," she stated quietly, her voice solemn as she turned away from her stunned friends and followed the group into the palace, where hopefully the answers they were looking for could be found. 

* * *

Mozenrath's Palace 

Meanwhile, Mozenrath paced back and forth in front of his dark throne in his equally dark palace, his mouth a hard, thin line. "I can't believe that street rat interfered with my plans again!" he hissed, his eyes narrowing into pointed slits. "Elisa Maza has nothing to do with him, yet he has to involve himself," he grumbled angrily, looking for something, anything, to kick. 

"Massster..." hissed Mozenrath's constant companion, the flying eel. 

"What is it?" he answered impatiently, not even throwing the spineless creature a side glance. 

"Are you going to get thisss human back?" 

"Of course you fool," Mozenrath cut in, finally turning to glare at his companion. "What a stupid question! It took me months to finally locate her... don't think I'm going to let Aladdin stop me when I finally have her. With her body essence.." 

"Body esssssence?" the eel hissed, its confusion painfully obvious. 

"Body essence, soul, whatever," Mozenrath said, sending an impatient glance at the eel. "With it, I'll finally be the most powerful and will be able to conquer all of Agrabah!" he laughed, a maniacal smile gracing his handsome face. "And after Agrabah, the world!... and Aladdin won't be able to stop me!" 

"Unlessssss Genie returnsssss early," the eel pointed out quietly, oblivious to his master's growing instability. 

Quickly, Mozenrath's hand shot out and clenched the eel by the neck. "Quit trying to get smart with me..." he hissed, "you're starting to act like Genie, and that is a fatal mistake." 

"I'm sssorry Massster," the eel hissed, writhing around in Mozenrath's grasp, "pleassse forgive me, I wasssn't thinking!" 

"That's better," Mozenrath said as he released the eel and started pacing again. 

"Why," the eel hissed curiously, obviously more tentative now in his questioning, "do you need _thisss_ woman?" 

"I don't know why exactly..." Mozenrath admitted quietly, "but my conjuring shows that she is immensely powerful somehow, and that I can only gain such power from her," Mozenrath answered quietly, his pacing finally stopped as he settled heavily into his throne, his gaze very distant. But then, a wolfish smile lifted his lips as he nodded at the eel. "Then again, her great beauty doesn't hurt the matter any either, although her feistiness is beginning to aggravate my nerves," he added darkly, his smile drifting into a frown. "Not even Princess Jasmine could put up such a fight." 

"How are you going to get her back?" 

"Well," Mozenrath said, an evil glint lighting up his eyes, "we will strike the castle two hours before sunset tomorrow night," he ordered, the faraway look entering his eye once again as he massaged his chin with his single hand. "That way, the palace will just be settling down, when they're least expecting it... And since Aladdin insists on getting involved, we'll show him how it feels to have someone taken from their grasp, someone they need," he laughed. "Tomorrow we'll reclaim Elisa Maza, and we'll take the Princess as well. After I gain immortal power, I'll kill Jasmine before Aladdin's eyes." 

"Then what?" the eel hissed, already knowing the answer but knowing that it was expected of him when his master entered into these moods 

Smiling evilly, Mozenrath slowly nodded his head. "After I take her soul from her with a simple kiss, it will become a part of me so that she'll forevermore be by my side..." 

* * *

Royal Palace, Agrabah 

Sighing, Elisa slowly settled further back against the pillow that she had been leaning on, her mind pouring over Aladdin and Jasmine's description of their world. It seemed so alien from what she knew. For the last hour, the group had been settled on the floor decorated with plump pillows in a room in the palace, asking and answering questions for each other. Now, Elisa had the one that all had been skirting around. "So this Mozenrath guy," she finally asked, breaking the comfortable and thoughtful silence that had fallen over the group, "what's the story on him?" 

Aladdin's face darkened at the name, as he shifted on his pillow, throwing a glance at his girlfriend. "He's as bad as they get," he began slowly, slowly rubbing his hands together. "I guess you could say that he's our worst enemy... did you see the glove on his hand?" he asked suddenly, surprising the others with his question. 

"The plumber glove?" Elisa asked quickly, arching an eyebrow in confusion. 

"Plumber?" Aladdin asked curiously, "what's a plumber?" 

"Oh, never mind. Yeah, I saw it," Elisa said, wanting to avoid another long explanation. 

"Okay, so years ago he traded his hand for that glove, and it's the source of all of his magic." 

"Magic?" Goliath asked, putting an arm around Elisa in a protective manner -- one that none missed. 

"Is there something wrong?" Jasmine asked, noting Goliath's protectiveness of Elisa. 

At this, Matt finally stopped his pacing as he turned towards the group. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but marvel over the picture of Elisa and Goliath almost snuggled up together. He always knew that the two were close, but seeing them like this, one would almost think that... shaking his head, Matt quickly decided not to go there. At least not yet with so many other, important things on his mind. "You could say," he quickly broke in, finally settling against a soft pillow, "that we've had numerous bad experiences with magic." 

"Yeah, you could say that again," Brooklyn muttered, thinking of Avalon and Demona. 

"But why would this Mozenrath travel all of that way to take Elisa?" Goliath demanded, finally asking the question that had been plaguing him as he looked straight into Aladdin's eyes. 

"Um," Aladdin stuttered, unnerved at the massive gargoyle's direct gaze, "all I know is that it can't be good," he stated as a thick silence fell over the group. 

"Okay, well what _do_ you know?" Elisa asked, trying to get the conversation moving again as she smiled encouragingly at the couple. "What have been your dealings with him in the past?" 

"He's the usual crook," Aladdin quickly explained, grateful to be back on familiar territory. "He wants to conquer Agrabah, and then the world. Usually, he goes for Jasmine and her father, but Genie, Carpet, Abu, and even Iago and I give him a run for his money." 

"Who's Genie, Carpet, Iago and Abu?" Matt asked curiously. 

"Oh, you haven't met them yet," Jasmine trailed off as she seemed to search the room around them. "They have been rather quiet tonight..." she trailed off as she bit her lip thoughtfully. "But Genie and Iago are on vacation right now, otherwise they would be of a great service. As for Carpet, and Abu..." she trailed off as the door opened and the magic rug that Matt had seen earlier glided in as though summoned, with the little monkey riding atop. 

Instantly, Goliath and Brooklyn jumped to their feet in astonishment as Aladdin smiled broadly. "As you can see," he said, continuing for Jasmine, "Carpet is really a magic carpet and Abu is my monkey friend." And once more, as though they could understand, Abu first jumped to the floor before them and bowed, taking his hat off at the tip of his head as Carpet did likewise, folding his tassels before him, causing Elisa to laugh delightedly. 

But abruptly, that laugh was cut short as she noticed the time. "Um, guys... I think we should find a safe place for you to rest. It's almost dawn," she pointed out as the two gargoyles nodded in agreement, heading back towards the balcony they first entered upon. 

"What happens at dawn?" Jasmine asked cautiously as she and Aladdin followed the group. 

"You'll see," was Elisa's quiet reply as Brooklyn hopped onto the balcony rail and took a defensive posture. Goliath, hesitating before joining his second in command, turned until he caught Elisa's arm and pulled her near, whispering softly to her. "We will leave for home when we awaken tonight... please be careful." 

"Don't worry Goliath," Elisa said with a small smile, shrugging his worries away. "I'll be fine, sleep well!" 

Unsatisfied, Goliath turned with a grim look on his face, knowing that he was leaving Elisa unprotected as he took his place on the wall. Before sleep overtook him, he called out over his shoulder, "Matt, Aladdin, take care of her!" he ordered. And with that, the two gargoyles turned to stone. 

As Aladdin and Jasmine looked on in wonder, Elisa and Matt turned away, both yawning sleepily as the long night finally began to take its toll. "Let's get some sleep," he suggested as he tried to hide another wide yawn. And without another word, the group left the two statues to bask in the morning sunshine. 

* * *

When the two detectives awoke from their peaceful slumber, they wandered groggily towards the main dining hall, where they found Aladdin and Jasmine waiting. "Hi!" Aladdin called out cheerfully, "sleep well?" 

"Yeah!" Matt called out, "it was gre-" he broke off as a palace guard ran into the room. 

"Princess, Aladdin," he cried out, his voice tinged with panic, "we're under attack!" 

Now fully awake, the four ran down into the courtyard, their footsteps echoing hollowly on the polished stone floor. Gasping, they finally emerged into the bright sunshine of the courtyard where they were greeted by the sight of chaos. "Mozenrath!" Aladdin hissed, his fist clenching at his side as he watched the palace guards battle fiercely against an army of Morlacs. "Come on, we have to help them out!" he cried out before quickly diving into the fray. 

Nodding grimly, Elisa slowly cracked her knuckles as she surveyed the scene. "Okay Matt, let's do-" she broke off as she turned towards her partner, surprise registering in her eyes. 

Confused, Matt watched his partner as she suddenly reached forward and grabbed Matt's gun from him. "Elisa, what are you..." he trailed off as she cocked the gun and aimed it over his shoulder. Gasping, he ducked out of the way as the sharp retort of the gun echoed throughout the bright day. Turning quickly, Matt watched in amazement as a Morlac, evidently having been standing directly behind him, flipped backwards and onto the dusty ground -- only to get right back up again. "Man, what does it take to kill these things?" he cried in disgust. 

"Rip them apart!" was Elisa's solemn reply as she tossed the gun back at her partner and flew at the Morlac with her foot extended in a powerful kick. Grunting, Elisa watched as her kick caught the strange monster in the neck, ripping his head as it rolled up to Matt's feet. 

"Oh God," Matt groaned, his face beginning to turn a little green, "I think I'm going to be sick," he complained as Elisa turned away and disappeared off into the fight. Sighing, Matt slowly holstered his gun before turning to survey the scene once more. "Well, I always did want to see how I'd do in hand to hand combat," he reasoned as he, too, joined the fray.

And so the fight continued, each handling themselves against the inhuman army fairly well. Aladdin fought them off using tricks and his sword, while Princess Jasmine used surprise attacks to take out her query. Matt, on the other hand, resorted to bashing Morlacs with a piece of wood that seemed to be left over from the remainder of a table. 

And like some of the others, Elisa preferred the direct approach as she used her judo skills to keep the Morlacs at bay. Panting, she looked up at the sky at one point and watched as the sun began to dip out over the horizon, marking the coming of the night. "Only an hour more," she guessed, nodding towards the setting sun as she yelled to Matt, who was swinging like a major leaguer nearby. 

Suddenly, thoughts of the dawning night were torn from Elisa's mind as she was tackled from behind. Gasping as the breath fled her lungs, she was quickly hauled to her feet by a group of Morlacs. "Let... me... go!" she hissed, struggling against their grasps as she kicked and flailed -- all to no avail. In a matter of minutes, she was completely immobilized 

"Elisa Maza," a familiar voice broke in quietly, instantly stopping her struggles as she turned wide eyes to the dark-haired man that stood before her. "so good to see you again," Mozenrath continued as he stepped before her, grinning from ear to ear. "I do hope you're enjoying our world." 

"Stuff it Mozenrath, I'm not in the mood for playing games," Elisa called out, grim determination on her face as she renewed her struggles. 

"Fine then," he shrugged, waving away her struggles as he turned away from her. "I think it's time we depart anyway," he added as he snapped a finger to his right. Instantly, two Morlacs stepped forth holding a struggling Jasmine between them. 

Her eyes growing wide, Elisa quickly renewed her struggles. "What are you doing?" she hissed, her eyes boring into Mozenrath. "If it's me you want, let the princess go!" 

"Oh, I don't think so," Mozenrath laughed in response, his eyes glinting under the bright sunshine. "If Aladdin wants to involve himself, then involved he will become," he said, his voice turning even colder as he glared at the struggling princess. "He can have the death of his beloved princess on his conscious...." he trailed off as he turned and smiled back at Elisa. "But first things first, of course. You're a bit too feisty for my taste," he observed as he watched his Morlacs strain against her. "I think that I'll have to tone you down a little," he added, stepping closer.

"Back off!" Elisa hissed through gritted teeth as the morlacs pinned her arms to her sides. 

But her words seemed to have no effect on the villain as he stopped directly before her. "Sleep well," he whispered, his voice a low timber as Mozenrath put his hands on either side of her face, pulling her closer despite her struggles. But in the end, all she could do was stare helplessly into his dark eyes as he put his mouth to hers. 

Gasping, at the touch of his soft lips against hers, she felt a strange energy course through her. Instantly, she began to tingle all over as the energy built within her and then began to slowly transfer from her lips into him. In seconds, Elisa's eyes began to droop as sleep finally stole over her. 

As Mozenrath parted their brief kiss, the human, Elisa Maza, slumped in the Morlacs hands. Smiling, he gently picked her up and carried her towards a glowing portal. "Retreat my morlac friends," he called gleefully over his shoulder, "we have what we came for!" 

* * *

Grunting, Matt looked up in confusion as the Morlac he was fighting abruptly turned away and started to run to a corner of the gardens they were in. It was then that Matt Bluestone saw his partner, once again unconscious in some guy's arms. "Elisa!" he cried out, starting to run forward even as he knew it was too late. And then, to his horror, he could only watch as the man, Mozenrath, he guessed from the plumber's glove, stepped through the portal and followed by the Morlacs, with Princess Jasmine struggling in their grasps. 

"Aladdin!" she called out one last time before being pulled in, the portal closing behind her. 

"No!!" Aladdin and Matt screamed at the same time, their eyes widening in disbelief. They were gone. 

"We have to go to his kingdom, now!" Aladdin cried, his eyes filling with determination as he began to run towards the palace.

"No, we have to wait until sundown," Matt cried after him, trying to calm the frantic boyfriend. 

"Why do you want to wait?" Aladdin asked in disbelief, stopping to stare as the man finally caught up to him. "I don't know how things work in your world, but they need us! _Jasmine_ needs _me_!" he hissed, daring Matt to contradict him as his composure began to crumple. He couldn't live without Jasmine.. not again. 

"In less than a half hour, my friends will awaken," Matt explained, placing his hand gently on the young man's shoulder. "And trust me, Goliath is going to be one very mad gargoyle, who will be more help than twenty of your best guards." 

Sighing, Aladdin slowly contemplated the detective's words, closing his eyes against the sight of seeing Jasmine slip through his fingers like that. "Fine then," he finally agreed, hearing her last cry for him echo in his ears, "we'll wait for your friends. But it better not be too late." 

* * *

The instant that Goliath awoke from his slumber that evening, he sensed that something was wrong... dead wrong. Turning, he jumped from his perch to the balcony, finding Aladdin and Matt waiting. "Where is Elisa?" he demanded quickly, a thick knot already beginning to form in his stomach. 

"And Jasmine?" Brooklyn asked, echoing his leader's concern as he took in Aladdin's pinched and worried expression.

"Mozenrath attacked the palace a half hour ago and took Elisa and Jasmine," Matt began as Goliath quickly stepped forward, his eyes glowing a hot white. 

"Where?" Goliath cut in quickly, his wings flaring unconsciously beside him. 

"To his kingdom, I assume," Aladdin answered grimly, tapping his foot impatiently. In his mind, too much time had been allowed to pass already. 

"Can you lead us there?" Goliath asked, his eyes locking onto Aladdin's with understanding. 

"Yes, we were waiting for you," Aladdin explained as he turned on his heel and whistled back towards the palace. Not even a moment later, Carpet flew towards him. Without another word, Aladdin jumped on as the carpet lifted higher into the night sky. "Let's go," he urged as the Carpet turned and began to fly off in the distance. 

Nodding quickly, Goliath quickly scooped Matt up into his arms and chased after Aladdin, with Brooklyn bringing up the rear. _Elisa,_ Goliath thought to himself, _hang in there. I am coming for you._

* * *

Mozenrath's Palace 

Humming softly to himself, Mozenrath cleared the portal gates and began walking towards down the dark hallway of his palace, his boot heels clicking off of the cold marble. Smiling, he nudged open a large wooden door that opened up into the special room that he had prepared for Elisa's arrival, the Morlacs holding Jasmine following close behind. The room was large and empty, painted in the dark colors of evil: black, dark blue, and blood red. The only furniture to be seen was a low bed that lay in the middle of the room. It was only a foot off the ground, in an oval shape, and covered in black satin. Perfect. 

"Chain Princess Jasmine to the wall," Mozenrath called over his shoulder, knowing that his minions would do as they were commanded as he gently lowered Elisa onto the bed, still unconscious and as lovely as ever. As a warm breeze ruffled the silken veils dividing the balcony from the room, Mozenrath admired his catch. She looked so beautiful there, her silky black hair fanning out beneath her head while her body lay perfect and vulnerable. It was then that he finally noticed her change of clothing. 

"My, my, my," Mozenrath muttered out loud, his eyes roaming over her every curve. "Jasmine, the clothes you lent her simply look marvelous," he complimented, riveted upon the dark beauty that lay before him. "The dark blue really suits her." 

Jasmine sneered from her place on the wall as she struggled futilely against her chains. "Leave her alone, Mozenrath!" she called out, her voice haughty and full of regal power. "She has very powerful friends that are going to be furious at what you've done!" 

"Do I look worried?" Mozenrath scoffed, finally tearing his eyes away from his capture to glare at the feisty young woman. To think that there was a time when he would have settled on royalty... now he was about to get so much more. 

But then, all thoughts were thrown aside as he noticed that his dark beauty was awakening. Quickly, Mozenrath reached forward and chained her hands slightly above her head. But, from past experience he had learned not to underestimate his catch as he quickly reached down and snapped similar bindings around her ankles, effectively binding her in place. And just in time, so it seemed. 

As Elisa finally threw off the lasts strands of her strange sleep, her eyes slowly fluttered open as she wearily took in her surroundings. Instantly, her eyes alighted upon Jasmine, chained to the wall before her and Mozenrath sitting beside her. Needing no more persuasion, she quickly began to struggle against her bonds. 

"You might as well stop that, my dear," Mozenrath cut in quietly, his voice filled with smug satisfaction. "It won't do you any good for there's no way you're going to escape me now." 

Frowning, Elisa fell back on what seemed to be her most useful weapon at the moment: blind indifference and cutting sarcasm. "What do you want with me Mozenrath?" she asked, almost making herself sound bored with what was happening while within, her heart pounded painfully against her chest. "What happened back at the palace?" she continued, hiding her fury at being so helpless before this monster. 

Thrown off by her tone of voice, Mozenrath felt his smile slip into a dark frown as his anger began to ebb once more. "Oh fine, I suppose that you think that you deserve an explanation as well," he muttered, sending a glare a the struggling princess. "Well, all right," he concluded, quickly turning his frown right upside down as he smiled at Elisa in a way that chilled her heart. "You see, I want to conquer the world, and in order to do that, I need much more magical power than I have right now. When I asked my trusty dusty magic to show me what I needed to accomplish this, it showed me you." 

"Me?" Elisa asked incredulously, forgetting her studied art of indifference for the moment. "But we're not even from the same world!" 

"Same world, different dimension," Mozenrath corrected, waving away her words. "Although that did make getting to you a bit more complicated." 

"Well, how am I supposed to give you all of this power?" Elisa asked sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at the man in a way that just showed how insane she thought the idiot was. 

"A simple kiss," Mozenrath replied, ignoring her sarcasm as she openly blanched before him. 

"You called that a kiss?" she asked, before laughing shrewdly. 

But Mozenrath ignored her pointed barbs and instead turned away, his eyes focusing on something that she couldn't see. "I don't know why exactly, but somehow whenever I kiss you I take some of your body essence..." 

"Body essence?" Jasmine asked in confusion, caught up in the man's words despite herself. 

Sighing, this question quickly brought Mozenrath back to reality as he sighed impatiently once more at the princess. "Body essence, karma, energy, soul... it's all the same thing," he muttered, waving away her question -- her presence entirely, it seemed. In his mind, only he and Elisa existed. "You know what I'm talking about," he continued, locking eyes with Elisa, "because you experienced it too." 

Unnerved, Elisa broke eye contact and shifted her eyes away, struggling to hold onto her indifference. "Okay, so what happens to me when you take it from me?" she asked quietly, remembering the darkness of sleep that came over her after she felt the tremendous energy coursing throughout her body and then being drained out. 

"Your soul will stay with me, providing the power I need," Mozenrath explained with a quiet intensity that unnerved his captive. "And as for your body," he continued with a smug smile, "it will stay in a never ending deep sleep as long as your soul lives." 

Despite the terror that she felt, Elisa instead struggled to calm her pounding heart. "Uh huh," she replied as caustically as she could, trying to make her face portray how much of a quack she hoped that he was. "And then what? What happens to my body?" she continued quickly, wanting to focus on anything but what he had said. 

At this, Mozenrath grinned wolfishly at her, making Elisa instantly regret that she had asked the question. "Well..." he trailed off as he lowered his gaze to her barely concealed body, "I'm sure I can find some use for it." 

"Oh, give me a break!" Elisa groaned, shifting her gaze uncomfortably. Against her control, she felt her face begin to warm with the tell-tale stain of a blush as she felt as though he was undressing her with his eyes -- not that there was a whole lot of undressing to do with what she wore.

Ignoring her words, Mozenrath slowly stood beside the bed as he began to undo the long cloak that he wore, letting the heavy material drop to the cold marble floor beside him. "But enough chitchat," he continued, his voice almost dream-like as he dropped to his knees on the bed beside her, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. "I'd like to begin." 

Seeing the smile on his face, Elisa renewed her struggled as Mozenrath slid even closer until he lifted one leg and then settled it on the opposite side of her hips, straddling her and pinning her down with his weight. "Get off me!" she hissed, trying to buck him away only to cry out in pain as the unforgiving metal ceased that effort as it bit into her delicate skin. 

But throughout her desperate struggles, Mozenrath ignored it all as his eyes filled with passion, his actions motivated by an intense desire as he bent forward. Lowering his mouth to her neck line, he kissed along the top of her halter, his cold hands moving down her breasts to her sides and flat stomach, exploring what was soon to be all his. Groaning, he then lowered his lips to hers, ready to take her power. 

As their lips touched, Elisa felt the electric shock and the power building inside of her, and then slowly drain from her lips. _This can't be happening! Goliath!_ she called out silently as a thick darkness began to overtake her. 

Beneath him, Mozenrath felt Elisa stiffen as the energy began to course through her beautiful lips into his body. Tensing, he felt the energy lift him higher than he had ever gone before as he moaned in ecstasy, falling upon her as he hungrily took all that he could, his hands exploring every contour of her perfect body. Groaning softly, Mozenrath lifted his head from hers, taking a deep breath of air as Elisa looked up at him heavy lashes, moaning in protest as she no longer even had the energy to fight anymore. Then, her eyes flitted shut as he once more sealed his lips to hers. 

Suddenly, his playtime was interrupted as a loud roar broke through his pleasure. Surprised, Mozenrath jerked his head away and and saw a great lavender beast with wings extended to either side, long flowing black hair, and eyes that glowed a fierce white enter the room by the balcony opening. "Guards!" he cried out in panic as he jumped up, summoning the morlacs as he watched another winged beast join the first, this one red with a beak, long white hair, and the same glowing white eyes. Behind them stepped two men, Aladdin and the one that was fighting along side of him earlier. 

In that instant, Mozenrath watched all of his carefully laid plans disappear before his very eyes. "No!" he protested as he felt himself being dragged away from his unconscious dark beauty. It was evident that the strange beasts had an uncommon strength, his Morlacs being of no match against them. "No you fools, I can't leave with Elisa!" he hollered at his guards angrily, trying to stop their attempts to bring their master to safety. 

But his protests were ignored as he was hauled from the room. With his last glance, he saw the greater of the two, the lavender beast, fight his way to Elisa and stroke her face gently. "**NO!!**" he yelled as the room disappeared from view down the many corridors of his palace. 

* * *

The gargoyles and Aladdin slowly circled the dark palace, looking for the best place to enter the dark building. Suddenly, the group stopped in mid-air as they heard a female voice cry out angrily, her curses unrecognizable in the dark night. 

Turning pale, Aladdin quickly turned to the others. "That's Jasmine!" he cried, his voice panicked as, without waiting for a reply, he zipped down on Carpet in the direction of the shouts. Without a second thought, Goliath and Brooklyn quickly followed. Then, after a few minutes of searching that seemed to drag on forever, the four followed the noise to a darkened balcony. As they landed, Aladdin jumped off Carpet and ran forward with Goliath, who had already set down Matt, and parted the vales. 

But then, as Goliath looked at the scene below him he felt his eyes flare a bright white. The room was dark except for a few torches along one wall, on which was chained the Princess Jasmine. She was screaming and yelling frantically as she struggled with the chains that bound her to the wall. Following her gaze, he gasped as he noticed a large bed laying low to the ground in the middle of the room, Elisa strapped in the middle with a man, laying on top of her, kissing her greedily amongst his moans. Even more disturbing, an eerie green light filtered between their sealed lips. Unable to contain his anger at this sight, Goliath roared loudly, the echo seeming to shake the very building itself as the man looked up in surprise and quickly jumped back. Breaking his heart even more, Elisa just lay as the man left her, not moving with her eyes closed. But before he could reach her, some of the strangest beings that he had ever seen ran forth. The Morlacs, as Aladdin called them, were even more hideous than Matt's description. 

The battle began, and the tide quickly turned in the fours' favor. Goliath and Brooklyn had no trouble tearing the strange things apart. As they fought, Aladdin saw an opening and ran to where his beloved Jasmine was held captive. "Jasmine!" he called, cupping her face in his hands. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" 

"Aladdin," Jasmine murmured in relief, tilting her head forward so she could kiss the hand that was gently caressing her face. "I'm fine... Mozenrath had no interest in me, he only wanted Elisa. Go to her, she needs your help!" 

"I will," he promised as he began tugging on her chains. "First let me get you free," he grunted, struggling against the massive metal. "They... won't... come.. loose," he panted, straining against her bonds. Just then, Aladdin was pushed gently away as Brooklyn stepped beside him. 

"Let me," Brooklyn said, as he gently pried the chains loose from the wall with hardly a strain of his muscles. Then, without waiting for a thanks, he rushed back into battle. 

"Wow!" Aladdin and Jasmine said simultaneously, turning towards each other before Aladdin quickly took her into his arms. 

Pushing him away gently, Jasmine said, "Come on, they need our help." Nodding his head, Aladdin parted from his love and joined the fray. 

* * *

As Goliath tore another Morlac apart, he finally found the opening that he was looking for as he rushed forward to the bed. Leaning down, he gently caressed Elisa's face. "Elisa?" he whispered hesitantly. At his words, Elisa's head turned slightly as she moaned quietly. Releasing an audible sigh of relief, thankful that she was alive, Goliath merely stood as still as stone. For a moment there, he had feared that he had lost her forever... he couldn't handle that thought. Taking his hand away, Goliath quickly shook away his thoughts as he used his talons and ripped all of the straps holding her apart. With great care, he then lifted her into his arms and walked towards the balcony. He could feel Elisa's soft breath enter and leave her body, gently fanning his skin, and that was all that mattered. He would deal with the man who dared to take her later. Turning, he quickly yelled over his shoulder, "Let's go!" 

Brooklyn, looking up and seeing his leader holding Elisa's unconscious form in his arms, quickly dispensed of the Morlac he was fighting. Turning, he grabbed a startled Matt by the collar and flung him on his back. 

Following suit, Aladdin finished off his Morlac and let out a low whistle. Carpet, hearing his call, flew towards him and waited patiently as Aladdin hopped aboard. As they flew towards the balcony, Aladdin leaned over the heads of the Morlacs and grabbed a hold of Jasmine's wrists. Grunting slightly, he slowly lifted her on the carpet and followed the others into the night sky, back towards Agrabah. 

* * *

Royal Palace, Agrabah

Sighing, Matt wearily picked at the food that was laid out before him. _This vacation royally sucks_, he thought to himself before finally shoving away the uneaten platter. When they had returned to the palace, Goliath, carrying Elisa, along with Aladdin, Jasmine, and the palace physician had quickly entered a private chamber, closing the door behind them. When Brooklyn and Matt tried to follow, the guards just shook their heads and told them that they were under orders of the palace physician to allow no entrance. Which left them at the present time: both sitting around the table sulking. 

"This sucks!" Matt cried angrily, finally breaking the stony silence as he jumped up from his chair and began to pace. 

Sighing, Brooklyn looked up from his seat and nodded in agreement. "Goliath's not trying to keep up in the dark on purpose," he reasoned, scratching his beak thoughtfully, "he's probably just too worried about Elisa and forgot about us." 

"Yeah, but we don't even know if Elisa's alive or what!" Matt cried angrily, finally voicing his frustrations. "She's my partner, and I can't even be there by her side... Goliath's not the only one who cares about her, you know!!" he finished heatedly, his face red as he paced even faster. 

"I know," Brooklyn sighed wearily, "I care about Elisa too. You're not the only one who wants to know what's going on, but there's nothing we can do about it now. She's in good hands." 

"How do we know that?" Matt laughed bitterly, stopping his pacing as he planted each hand firmly on the long, wooden table as he glared at the gargoyle. "How do we know if this place has advanced medical treatments or what?" 

Any reply that Brooklyn was about to give was cut off as the door to the room opened, allowing quiet exit to the doctor, Jasmine, and Aladdin. Instantly Matt stopped pacing as he turned expectantly towards them. "Is she alright?" he asked breathlessly, a band of emotions squeezing tight around his chest like a vise.

Shrugging her delicate shoulders, Jasmine walked wearily towards the large table, half collapsing into one of the chairs as Aladdin quickly moved to her side, holding one hand gently. 

Seeing this, Brooklyn nodded his head impatiently towards the ajar door. "Where's Goliath?" he asked, his voice coming out more sharp than he had intended. "Can we go see Elisa now?" 

Clearing his throat, the elderly doctor took that as his cue as he stepped forth from the deep shadows of the room and said, "The patient is currently in a deep sleep... we have not yet been able to awaken her," he stated solemnly, his eyes heavy. "Alas, she is not physically harmed, but does seem to be in a weakened state." 

"Goliath is still with her," Aladdin added quietly, briefly diverting his attention away from Jasmine to nod at the partially opened door. "You can go see her now, but when you're ready to go, bring Goliath with you," he continued quietly. "We have to talk." 

Nodding his agreement, Matt moved quickly towards the door, as if afraid that the doctor would change his mind and forbid admittance. Then, as he cleared the doorway and stepped into the room, he saw Goliath kneeling beside a low bed, his head bent down. 

"Goliath?" Brooklyn asked quietly, moving silently beside the human detective. 

Hearing his friend, the large lavender gargoyle slowly lifted his head, turning towards the two. Then, taking this as his cue, Matt quickly edged forward until he saw Elisa lying in the bed, her arms laying unmoving on the top of the satin sheets. Stopping short, he sucked in a great lungful of breath as he took in her unmoving form. The only word he could think of to describe the way she looked was peaceful. There was not a line to be found anywhere on her beautiful face and for the first time since he had met this hard-core detective, she looked truly at peace. 

Goliath, understanding what was needed, quietly moved out of the way and without any hesitation, Matt moved forward to kneel in Goliath's place. Very gently he reached forward and lifted her limp hand into his own, cradling it gently like an injured bird. While his other hand stroked her still face, he whispered quietly into her ear, "Come on partner, wake up! We all need you out here. Your family needs you, the clan needs you, the force and the city needs you... _ I_ need you!" he finished quietly as his eyes searched her still face, willing for her to respond in some way -- for her eyes to blink open and for her to punch him lightly in the arm, making fun of him for his concern. Instead, all he got was no response. Sighing shakily, he gently laid her hand back at her side and got slowly up from his knees. 

Brooklyn looked on sadly from where he was standing and motioned for Matt and Goliath to follow him back in to the dining room where Aladdin and Jasmine waited, closing the door gently behind them. 

As the five friends settled around the table, Brooklyn turned to Aladdin and Jasmine and asked, "What's wrong with her?" 

Biting back his frustration, Aladdin shook his head angrily as he said, "That's the problem, we don't know what Mozenrath did to her!" 

"Yes we do," Jasmine spoke up in a small voice that was so different from her usual strong timber. 

Quickly all eyes turned to the withdrawn princess. From the shadows under her eyes, it was evident to all that the experience struck her in a frightening and shocking way. 

"Jasmine?" Aladdin asked curiously, "what do you know? What happened to Elisa?" 

Sighing wearily, Jasmine closed her eyes as the rest of the group drew closer to hear her better. Opening them, she looked down at her hands and inspected them, as though looking for something that wasn't there. "When I was grabbed by the Morlacs at the palace earlier, they drug me over to Elisa and Mozenrath. I tried to struggle and get free, but they were too strong. The morlacs had surrounded and over-powered Elisa, but she didn't give up and continued to struggle as well. When she saw me, she asked Mozenrath what he was doing -- told him to let me go. But Mozenrath said that he wouldn't let me go, and that if Aladdin wanted to get involved, then he'd take revenge on Aladdin by killing me," she whispered, her voice hollow as her hands began to shake slightly. "Then," she continued, "he leaned forward and began to kiss her," Jasmine continued, a look of wonder covering her features as a low growl began to emanate from Goliath's tightly sealed lips. But Jasmine seemed oblivious to this as she slowly turned each hand, inspecting their smooth surfaces. "But once his lips touched hers, I saw a strange glow come from between their lips. And then Elisa began to weaken. When he finally stepped back, she was unconscious." 

By this point in the princess's recounting, Goliath's eyes were glowing a fierce white. 

"Well," Jasmine continued, "after we stepped through the portal, we were taken to the bed chamber that you found us in. When Elisa woke up, she got him to explain what was going on. Mainly Mozenrath said that he wanted more power and that something indicated that he needed Elisa to gain this power." 

"What?" Brooklyn broke in, mouth hanging open in shock. "But they're not even from the same planet!" 

"Same planet, different dimension. I know, that's just what Elisa said," Jasmine continued, waving away his protest. "He said that she had some sort of power that he didn't even understand and that whenever he kissed her, he took some of her soul, or body essence, which would stay with Mozenrath, giving him unlimited power. Then, after all of the soul is taken then her body would remain in a never-ending sleep." 

At this, Goliath's tightly controlled anger finally snapped. His own emotions didn't quite make sense to him. Elisa was supposed to be nothing more than a friend. Their first human friend that could truly be trusted and that would lay down her life for them. But these emotions.. they were far more intense than those that he should be feeling for a mere friend. Something was happening between them and it wasn't until now, in this situation, that Goliath was finally beginning to understand what it all meant. He thought that he really loved her. "NO!!" Goliath hissed, his fist clenching tightly as it pounded on the table with a hard echo. "Did he do it? Did he take everything?" he asked quickly, feeling as though his world was falling apart. "There has to be a way to help her, to reverse it!" he continued, not allowing a chance for the princess to intervene. He wished above all else that Lex was with them. With his knowledge of the modern world and it's medicine, he could probably help -- help more than he could there. 

At this outbreak, everyone began talking at once, arguing loudly amongst themselves about ways to reverse it and bring Elisa back to them, while Jasmine patiently tried to draw their attention. Finally giving up, she jumped up from her seat and let out a fierce whistle. Instantly, the four men stopped their arguing and looked up, surprised by the tiny princess. 

"Would you guys just shut up and listen?" she demanded, her eyes glinting angrily. "I'm not done yet!" she scolded as she waited for their meek nods of agreement. Once she had them, the princess returned to her chair gracefully. "What I was trying to say was that after our little talk, Mozenrath had begun to drain her, but I don't think that he drained her completely," she continued quickly before another argument could begin. "You interrupted him." 

"So.. what's going on right now is that she's just tired? Drained?" Brooklyn asked, wincing at his own bad pun.

"I believe so," Jasmine shrugged, hoping that she was right.

"Then if that's the case," the doctor continued, reminding everyone that he was still present, "then there's nothing that can be done for her. We just need to let her rest and awaken when she's ready-"

"And then get her the hell out of here," Matt finished darkly, massaging his aching forehead.

"Exactly," Goliath confirmed, his voice grim as he slowly stood from the table. "And until then, I suggest that you three get some rest," he continued, indicating the humans that were gathered amongst them. "It has been a long day for you all."

"I can vouch for that one," Aladdin agreed, slowly climbing from his chair and stretching aching and sore muscles.

"But what about Elisa?" Matt asked quietly, a brief frown flickering across his face.

"I will stay with her, for now," Goliath decided before nodding at his second-in-command. "In an hour, Brooklyn can relieve me and we can take turns sitting with her.. making sure that all is as it should be," he growled softly, his eyes glowing at the thought of Mozenrath's return.

"And when she's better we hightail it outta here?" Matt asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.

"Once we figure out _how_ to get out of here," Brooklyn sighed as he too stood and stretched slowly.

"Just get some rest," Goliath sighed as he turned away and started back towards the door to Elisa's chamber. "One hour," he called over his shoulder, reminding his second-in-command before gently, but firmly, closing the door behind him.

Sighing, Goliath realized that he was finally alone with his troubled thoughts as he slowly walked up to Elisa's bed, his heart warmed as he saw her eyes flicker open. 

"Goliath?" she called out weakly, her voice a mere whisper but music to his ears. 

"Yes, Elisa, I am here," Goliath quickly rumbled as he crossed the space between them in seconds, settling his massive frame on the bed beside her as he took her hand in his own. "Are you alright?" 

"I... I think so," Elisa replied shakily, focusing on Goliath's worried countenance. "I guess I'm just really tired," she sighed as she fought off the dark sleep that strove to claim her. Then, as her memories flood back to her, her eyes grew wide as she tried to sit up. "Where's Mozenrath?" 

"Gone," Goliath quickly insisted as he gently pushed her back to the bed, lifting the satin sheets and tucking them gently around her bared shoulders. "He is gone and you are safe with me in the palace," he continued reassuringly, running his claws gently through her silky raven locks. 

"Oh Goliath," she sighed, her head tiredly rolling to the side as she pulled him close in a soft embrace, "it was horrible! I felt all tingly inside as energy started to build, and then it was all pulled from me. I tried to fight, but I just kept getting weaker and weaker -- more and more tired." 

"It is alright... my love," Goliath soothed, the words sounding so foreign yet so right on his tongue. And then, as Elisa pulled back and met his eyes in wonderment, that peace was shattered. 

"Not quite," someone hissed from the balcony. 

Turning quickly in surprise, Goliath quickly stood in front of Elisa's bed in a defiant form of protection as his eyes burned a hot white color. 

"My, my, my," Mozenrath murmured, jumping easily from the balcony divider to the marble floor. "Elisa does have some very powerful friends," he muttered, taking in the creature's massive frame. "Too bad they won't do her any good!" 

"Mozenrath!" Elisa whispered while trying desperately to move away. Unfortunately, she was too weak and could do nothing but watch with mounting horror as the man advanced into the room. 

Goliath, focusing on the evil one that stood so defiantly before him, unfurled his wings and roared his anger, his eyes blazing. "_You!_" he bellowed angrily, snapping his wings back to his side. "You are the one who has done this to Elisa? Oh, you shall pay for this!" 

But instead of the customary fear that such an act usually inspired in his adversaries, Mozenrath merely laughed at the display the large winged being was putting on before him. "I don't think so," he replied coldly as green energy shot out of his hand and soared towards the monster. 

"Goliath!" Elisa screamed, watching in horror as the magic circled around him in a tight band, holding him life a vise around his torso and carrying him away from his protective stance before the bed. 

"Ah, poor Goliath," Mozenrath mocked, laughing as he watched. 

Roaring, Goliath struggled in frustration, but could do nothing to free himself from the strange bands which held him like a vise. Through the cacophony of pounding at the door as Brooklyn tried to enter, he heard Elisa whimper softly as Mozenrath moved with an almost regal grace to stand beside her bed. "Elisa!" he roared, struggling against his magical binds as she turned her head towards him and locked eyes with his own. Then, as his heart caught in his throat, he watched her whisper the words that he had always been too frightened to speak aloud. 

"I love you..." 

As Mozenrath lowered himself to her, Goliath could do nothing but watch as he whispered back, "I am sorry." But it wasn't enough, and as Elisa nodded her understanding, tears sliding down her pale cheeks, Goliath twisted his head in denial. "No, no, **_ NO!_**" he roared, tears burning at his eyes as Mozenrath lowered his lips to hers. Goliath could do nothing but watch as Mozenrath drained Elisa's remaining energy. 

When the demon had finished, he turned to Goliath and smiled evilly. "Since you've been such a good sport and sat back and allowed me to finish my work...." he laughed, watching as the creature cringed from his words, "I'll leave you a temporary gift. You can have her body for awhile, but later, when I'm needing my pleasures from her, I'll be back." 

At this, Goliath could do nothing but roar his fury as Mozenrath disappeared in a flash of light. Just as quickly, the vise around Goliath disappeared as he rushed toward his beloved. As Jasmine had earlier said, it looked as though she was in a deep sleep. But Goliath knew the truth as deep, racking sobs tore from his lips as he gently cradled her to his chest, barely aware of his friends gathering around him. "I'm sorry," he repeated over and over again, "I'm so sorry!" Then, with a mighty roar he stood up and faced the balcony. "I will have my revenge! Do you hear me? I will have my revenge!!!" 

**To Be Continued...**


	2. A Simple Kiss -- Part Two

**"A Simple Kiss -- Part Two"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on 9/09/97  
Revised on 5/03/01 

All the usual legalese: nothing here is of my creation. Aladdin and the Aladdin crew belong to Disney while Goliath and his crew belong to Disney/Buena Vista. No profit will be made by me. Also the song that I use is the property of Alison Krauss. 

Author's Note: This is the second part of the first installment of the Talika Saga. In the Gargoyles Realm this can take place anytime after the "Hunter's Moon" incident and before "The Journey". As for Aladdin, we'll say anytime during the cartoon series, or after "The Return of Jafar" and before "The King of Thieves". 

**RATING**: PG-13 

* * *

**_A Simple Kiss -- Part Two_**

Brooklyn walked slowly back and forth across the bed chamber. Things had just gone from bad to unbelievably worse. He had tried to get in the door when he heard Elisa's scream and the roars from Goliath, but the door was magically sealed, preventing his help. Then, when all hope seemed lost, the door had suddenly fell open before him. Not waiting a second, Brooklyn had rushed forward, but there in front of him was a sight that he never wanted to see again: his mighty leader kneeling before the still form of Elisa Maza, sobbing as he held her to his chest. Without having to ask, they all knew what had happened. Sighing, Brooklyn looked once more to his leader who was now withdrawn and sitting by Elisa's side. Matt, having been summoned from his sleep, was sitting in the corner with his head in his arms, giving Elisa's sleeping form an occasional glance, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Aladdin, on the other hand, was standing in the middle of the room, holding onto Jasmine as though he never wanted to let go. 

All in all, they were all showing their deep despair in the only way that they knew how.. but finally, Brooklyn had had enough. "That's it!" he yelled, turning to face the dejected group. "Everyone, pull yourselves together! She's not lost to us yet!" she cried out shrilly, hating the unsure questioning that he heard in his very own voice. 

But his words seemed to be enough as Goliath rose from his vigilant perch beside the bed, nodding in Brooklyn's direction. "You are right," he growled wearily, "We must push our feelings aside and plan a way to get her back... Jasmine," he said, turning to the princess. 

At the mention of her name, Jasmine withdrew from Aladdin's embrace and straightened her shoulders, showing to one and all that she for one was not going to give up on Elisa without a fight. "Yes Goliath?" 

"Did Mozenrath mention how to reverse what he planned?" 

Sighing, Jasmine slowly shook her head. "No, he didn't say... but perhaps if Mozenrath is dead then what he did will be reversed," she ventured quietly, shrugging her small shoulders.

"But how do we know that won't kill Elisa as well?" Matt broke in, shaking his head quickly.

"We don't," Brooklyn sighed in disgust, thumping his tail in annoyance. 

"Man, I wish Genie was here!" Aladdin muttered under his breath in frustration. "He'd be able to tell us everything we needed to know!" 

"You rang?" came a deep baritone voice, seemingly out of the air itself. 

As the group looked around in confusion and some in fear, a blue mist began to gather next to Aladdin. Slowly it took the shape of a giant blue guy wearing a standard black butler's uniform. 

"Genie!" Aladdin cried happily, throwing his arms around his friend in an enthusiastic hug. 

"Ah, shucks!" Genie replied, blushing while returning the hug. 

"Genie," Jasmine cried out in obvious relief, a large smile lifting her lips as she moved beside Aladdin. With a blink of an eye, Genie quickly changed back to his normal appearance: blue baggy pants, weird shoes, and no shirt. "I thought that you were on vacation!" 

"Well..." Genie said with a wink, "the pyramids were getting old, besides... been there, done that last time on vacation. You know, right after the big bad Jafar. Now, what can I do for... whoa!" Genie started, staring wide eyed at the three visitors he had failed to notice upon his grand entrance. "Gargoyles!" he gasped in obvious surprise, "Why I haven't seen any of your kind in at least a millennia. Now, tell me," Genie said, changing his form once more, this time to a blue lady with blond hair in tight fitting pink dress with a Southern accent. "Sugar, who's tall, dark, and lavender over there? Not to mention his beaked and red headed companions?" 

"My name is Goliath," the gargoyle said, stepping toward the strange being before him with suspicion written clearly on his face. "And who are _you_?" 

"Well, like Aladdin and Jasmine over there said earlier," replied Genie, returning to his normal appearance, obviously noting the gargoyle's impatience with his usual charades, "I'm called Genie, and the name says it all." 

"But I thought that Genies were fairy tales?" Matt broke in, obviously confused. 

"Yeah, and Gargoyles aren't?" Genie interrupted the detective sarcastically. 

"Never mind all that," Jasmine broke in impatiently, "we're wasting time that Elisa doesn't have." 

"You are right, Princess," Goliath hedged, finally accepting the new addition grudgingly. By now he easily realized that they needed all the help that they could get. "We need to get Elisa back before Mozenrath tries something with his new powers," Goliath acknowledged. 

"Mozenrath?" Genie squeaked in surprise, his skin tone lightening a shade or two. 

"Long story, Genie," Aladdin sighed wearily. 

"Well, I'm kind of lost here and I have the rest of eternity to spare," Genie pointed out, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Anyone care to clarify things a little?" 

"Okay, here's the condensed version," Jasmine said impatiently. "Mozenrath found out that by taking the soul of a human woman, Elisa Maza, he would gain unlimited power, so he could conquer our world. To get her, he opened a portal to her world and kidnapped her. These are her friends: Goliath, the leader of the clan of gargoyles; Brooklyn, his second in command; and Matt, her human partner," Jasmine said hurriedly, pointing them all out in turn. "Following so far?" 

"Um, gotcha," Genie muttered, taking in each person around the room with a dazed expression upon his face. 

"Good. When Mozenrath grabbed Elisa," Jasmine continued, "her friends managed to follow her through the portal. But before he could take her back to his kingdom Aladdin was able to get to her and bring her back here to the palace." 

"Okay... which is where we are right now?" Genie asked hopefully as he eagerly rubbed his hands together. "So where is the lucky lady?" 

At the Genie's innocent question, Goliath couldn't help the low growl that filled his throat as he slowly stepped aside and gestured to Elisa's unmoving body. Then, as the Genie's eyes lit upon her form, his jovial expression instantly turned contrite as he began to nod in understanding. Still, this did nothing to alleviate Goliath's displeasure with the creature. "I do not think that I like you, Genie," he growled, speaking the truth as he moved once more before Elisa, "for you remind me too much of an annoying fey-" 

"Fey?!" Genie cut in incredulously. "You know of the third race?" 

"Puck, the banshee," Brooklyn began, ticking the names off of his talons as he went, "Odin, Coyote, Fox, Alexander, the weird sisters, Queen Titania, King Oberon... yeah, you could say that we pretty much know them all," he finished with an indifferent shrug. 

At this display, Genie's pleasure only seemed to grow as he rocked back on his heels, looking completely blown away. "I haven't seen any of them in millenniums... I'm going to have to hear all of the stories.." he continued excitedly. 

"Later," Jasmine interrupted impatiently as she nudged Aladdin for help. 

"Genie," he quickly broke in, taking his cue, "what we really need right now is to know why Mozenrath is getting all of this power from Elisa. I mean, why her?" 

"Also," Goliath broke in, his voice a deep rumble, "what can we do to get her soul back from him?" 

"So he.. took it all then, huh?" Genie asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, not really expecting an answer as his somber expression returned once again. "Okay folks," he finally declared, snapping his finger as he nodded at the expectant group, "really I'm not supposed to do this, but this time I'll break the rules," he continued as he reached into the air above him and withdrew a book from nowhere. On the front was inscribed a single word, _Destiny_. 

"What is that, Genie?" Jasmine asked curiously, stepping closer. 

"It's the book of Destiny: the place where everyone's destiny is recorded," Genie replied nonchalantly, waving away their surprise as he aimlessly flipped through the pages. "What was the name again?" 

"Maza, Elisa Maza," Goliath quickly supplied, curious despite himself as he too began to edge forward. "What does it say about her?" 

"Let's see... hmm, Matthews, Maverick, Mawjah, Mayan, ah, Maza... here we go," Genie muttered as he obviously began to scan the text by her name. "Well, it says some pretty interesting stuff here," he finally muttered while cocking an eyebrow at the group. "Hmm, a police detective, falls off of buildings a lot, friends with the Gargoyle clan from Manhattan, she..." 

"What? Can we save her?" Matt asked impatiently, waving away at the information that they already knew. 

But then, Genie's mouth widened softly before he quickly shut the book, his expression turning neutral. "She can be saved, all hope is not lost," he replied vaguely, his eyes shuttered. 

"Hey! What are you doing?" Brooklyn asked angrily, trying to snatch the book from Genie's hands. 

"There's nothing in the book that can aid us," he quickly replied, easily dodging the gargoyle as the book disappeared from his hands. 

"Genie?" Aladdin asked cautiously. "What aren't you telling us?" 

"If you are hiding anything from us..." Goliath threatened, his eyes burning white. 

But Genie seemed unimpressed. Even if it was the largest gargoyle that he had seen in a long time, an angry gargoyle at that, there were some rules that just couldn't be broken or bent. Even if one of the things that he had learned long ago _ was_ not to piss off a gargoyle. Still, sometimes rules were rules. Shaking his head sadly, Genie spoke calmly to the angry gargoyle, "I'm sorry, but I can't help out on this one." 

"What?" Goliath roared angrily, his control over his mighty temper snapping like a small twig under his growing desperation. "If you know something that could help, then you must tell us!" 

"Goliath!" Jasmine yelled, stepping between the two. "If Genie says that he can't help us, then he can't. He's on our side, and if he can't tell us something, then it's for the over all good." 

"She's right," Aladdin sighed, moving to stand beside his blue friend. "Right now we have to think of a plan." 

Sighing his acceptance, Goliath caped his wings around his shoulders and led the group to the empty table. Sitting down, they began their planning. 

* * *

_Where am I? _ Elisa thought, looking around her with eyes and a body that she couldn't feel, faced with a never-ending darkness all around her. _What's going on?_ she thought, feeling her panic beginning to build. "Goliath?!" she tried to yell, yet nothing came forth -- not even a sound in this endless realm of darkness. _Okay, calm down Maza, getting hysterical is not going to help_, she thought, forcing herself to calm. Thinking back, she slowly began to remember her trip through the portal and the struggle with Mozenrath. She remembered being rescued by Goliath, and then awakening to find Goliath beside her, and everything was alright... until Mozenrath came in and ruined it all. The horror she felt when she saw Mozenrath shoot that energy at Goliath was tremendous. Then the monster tormented him.... At least she had a chance to say goodbye, and to finally tell Goliath her true feelings. She loved him. She always had, and had never truly realized it till that moment. Before, her feelings and emotions had been a whirlwind of confusion. She had known for quite some time that she had cared for the big guy, proving it with a kiss here and there. If only it hadn't ended there. Or had it? Was she dead? Was this what death was? 

For some reason, she didn't think so. _I always thought that death would be a big family reunion with my relatives, not inky darkness... so maybe I'm not dead!_ Mozenrath had said that he was going to take her soul. Which meant that her soul was probably with him, meaning that she was with him. Making a decision, she quickly began a mental struggle to come forward out of the inky darkness that was to be her home. It was a tiring process, but with a little work and pure Maza determination, she knew that she would succeed -- hopefully before too much damage was done. If she was left in this place for the rest of eternity, she would go mad. This empty blackness she was in was a darker Hell than she had ever imagined. _Don't worry, Goliath, this time I'm coming for you!_

* * *

Mozenrath's Palace 

Mozenrath hummed contentedly to himself as he walked the passage ways of his palace. Things were definitely looking up. Laughing, he flexed his gloved hand, feeling the incredible energy that was coursing through his veins. _Ah, the power.._ he thought to himself. It was greater than he had ever imagined. Every step he took, every move he made caused the energy to stir within himself. Elisa Maza was no more. With her energy taken, he had banished her soul to the furthest corners of his mind, never to be heard from again. He still couldn't figure out why, but her soul was the ticket to world domination. He knew without a doubt that victory would be his with her power. The magic he now possessed was almost alien to him. 

But his thoughts of Elisa brought an image of her sleeping body to his mind. Frowning, he remembered his act of generosity, leaving the body behind. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, another way to show to Aladdin and that Goliath beast that he had truly won. The look on Goliath's face was priceless. To think that the beast actually loved Elisa was beyond his imagination... actually it was hilarious. On the other hand, it was pretty stupid to leave her body behind. To think of what the stupid beast was doing with it was enough to infuriate him. 

Hissing quietly to himself, Mozenrath was about to holler for his pet eel to come to him when a new idea came. He wanted to test his powers, and this was the perfect way. "My little pet eel," he laughed, his eyes as black as coal, "I have an ordeal... I need you to be right here beside me!" he chanted to the air around him. Then, in the blink of an eye, a flash of light occurred at his side. Shielding his eyes from the sudden glare, Mozenrath turned to find the eel floating at his side. 

"Masssster... what happened?" 

Laughing, Mozenrath shook his head in child-like wonder as he grinned as his gloved hand. "I summoned you with my magic," he stated out loud, more for his benefit than for the stupid eel. 

"Impressssive," the eel hissed quietly, its long, snake-like tongue sliding out of its mouth. "What can I do for you my Massster?" 

"I desire the body of the human Elisa Maza," he stated matter-of-factly before turning to the eel with a murderous glare. "I should never have listened to you and left her behind," he stated angrily, easily shifting the blame from himself to the eel. 

"But Massster," the eel hissed in protest, "I never-" 

"Be quiet! Now, I want you to prepare the Morlacs... we leave for Agrabah in ten minutes." 

"Yesss Massster..." the eel replied, doing his version of a bow before gliding away. 

Grinning evilly, Mozenrath had to restrain himself from rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Soon I'll be paying a little visit to my old friends of Agrabah. Now, not even Genie can stand in my way!!"

* * *

Royal Palace, Agrabah 

"Okay, so what _ are_ our options?" Matt asked, looking the group over carefully. 

"Killing Mozenrath," Jasmine suggested warily once more. 

"Man, that brings us back to where we were before Genie's arrival," Matt quickly argued as he shook his head curtly. "We can't kill him until we're sure that we can bring her soul back!" 

"But there's no way that we can know for sure!" Brooklyn pointed out. 

"Then we cannot kill him," Goliath put in firmly. "As you have all pointed out, we cannot be sure and I will _ not_ endanger Elisa any further. Whether we like it or not, we will have to take him alive." 

"That won't be easy," Aladdin said, shaking his head sadly. 

"It does not matter," Goliath insisted, taking charge once more. "We will just have to deliver a blow to knock him unconscious. From there we can restrain him and figure out our next move." 

At this move of authority, Brooklyn sighed a mental sigh of relief. Even though he was second in command, he wasn't ready for the burdens of leadership just yet. Also, this meant that Goliath had finally pushed away all of his grief and anger and locked it away, for once again his face was cold and impassive. As far as he was concerned, that could only be a good thing. Already too many rash decisions had been made while they had been ruled by their emotions and not logic. 

Matt, too noticed the slight change in Goliath's demeanor. Following this example, Matt straightened his shoulders, pushing his anger at his partner's apparent demise to a corner in his mind. _We'll get our revenge.. and I'm not giving up on Elisa just yet, she was never a quitter, and I doubt she'd start now if our roles were reversed._

Goliath slowly rose from his seat at the table and began to pace, aware of everyone's eyes upon him. With determination, he had finally locked his emotions away -- most of them anyway. All that remained was raw anger and determination. Determination to get back Elisa's soul, to bring her back to him once more. Without her, all would be lost. He had finally found love once again, only to be ripped away while he watched. The feeling of helplessness he felt while he watched her slip away was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was even worse than coming back to find his clan destroyed and the "remains" of his angel of the night. Then, he had no control for he wasn't there to stop it. In this case, he had to watch his love be destroyed before his very eyes. The love he felt for Elisa may be wrong because of the difference of their species, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from loving her. The feelings he had for Elisa was the most pure form of love he had ever felt before, even greater than the love he felt for Demona. He _would_ get Elisa back, that he vowed to himself. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as yet another palace guard rushed into the room. 

"Not again!" Brooklyn groaned quietly. 

Sending a glare in Brooklyn's direction, Jasmine quickly asked, "What's wrong?" 

"Princess, the palace is under attack -- again!" the guard stammered, eyeing the strange creatures warily. 

"What?" Aladdin cried out in disbelief, "by the same forces?" 

"Yes. And this time they're killing everyone and everything that they can," the guard continued grimly. "We have already sustained heavy damages and Mozenrath keeps shouting that he is returning for what's rightfully his." 

"He's come back for Elisa!" Matt exploded angrily, jumping to his feet as he stole a glance at the open door to the room where Elisa slept. 

"Not this time," Goliath growled, climbing swiftly to his feet. "Matt, I want you to stay with Elisa. Protect her with your life and do _ not_ let him take her body!!" he isntructed urgently. 

"Don't worry Goliath, he's not coming near her," Matt said with venom dripping from his voice as he stood from the table. 

"Good, the rest of you are with me. Let us take care of Mozenrath once and for all... but do not forget!" he interrupted, realizing how his words could be taken. "No one is to kill him -- just make it so we can restrain him!" 

At these instructions, a throat was cleared noisily as all eyes turned to the quiet genie. "I'm staying here," he stated quietly, leaving no room for argument. 

Surprised, Aladdin stepped up to his friend and probed his eyes in confusion. "Genie? Why won't you fight with us?" 

Instantly, Genie's cold expression broke as he looked at his friend sadly. "I'm sorry Al, but this is one fight that I'm not permitted to help with. You're on your own." 

Sighing, Aladdin contemplated his friends words before nodding his head in agreement. Although he didn't understand what was going on in his friend's mind, he trusted him. If Genie said that he couldn't, then he couldn't and the rest of them would just have to make do without a little bit of Genie help. "Fine, you stay with Matt and Elisa," Aladdin agreed. 

Shooting his friend a grateful look, Genie quickly turned and followed Matt into the bed chamber, the rest of the group watching their departing backs. As the door closed, they could hear a heavy grating sound as something was moved in front of the door. Satisfied that Matt could handle it for the time being, Goliath led the group down the passageway and into combat.

* * *

After many twists and turns, the group finally found themselves in the great hall, the place of the battle. The room was huge beyond imagining, with a roof that could be found about four to five stories up, the room itself circular with the diameter of a football field. Everywhere they looked, they saw palace guards fighting hand to hand with Morlacs, while scattered on the ground were the bodies and pieces of the bodies of the fallen. Morlacs and the guards were falling left and right. But unfortunately, for every Morlac that fell, three more replaced it, while the guards were running low. 

The Captain of the Guards, a big, burly unkempt man who was missing a couple of teeth ran towards the entering group. "Princess, our forces are being out numbered." 

"Don't worry Captain, reinforcements have arrived," she said slyly, looking at her gargoyle companions. 

Without further ado, Goliath and Brooklyn climbed the rock walls of the room and soon launched themselves into the air. From there their roars of attack quickly ripped through the room as they began their air to ground attacks, taking out huge numbers of the Morlacs by dismemberment. 

Aladdin, meanwhile, had grabbed a sword from the floor and jumped into action. In the air was Jasmine on Carpet, taking out as many of the enemies as she could. Abu, meanwhile, ran about playing tricks on the Morlacs, effectively distracting them while the guards finished them off. The allies had started their attack.

* * *

Brooklyn was amazed by the number of Morlacs in the room. It seemed that with Mozenrath's new power, he had enlarged his army by the thousands. As Brooklyn looked around, he saw a Morlac sneaking towards a preoccupied Aladdin. With a battle cry that made most cringe in horror, Brooklyn glided down and picked up the unsuspecting Morlac. As the thing struggled in his hand, Brooklyn used his other to fimrly grab the thing's arm. Then, wrinkling his nose in disgust, he ripped the arm away. 

Since the zombie had no nerves, it didn't even blink an eye but kept struggling. Sighing in annoyance, he finished the job by pulling all of the major appendages off one by one. Soon, nothing was left but the head, which he promptly dropped into the writhing mass of bodies below. Turning, he looked for another awaiting victim.

* * *

Mozenrath was enjoying this immensely. Sure, he could just use his heightened magic to destroy everyone in the room with a snap of his fingers, but what would be the fun of that? All around him his evil minions were destroying the palace's forces. Laughing gaily, he watched as another Morlac slaughtered an innocent palace guard with his sword, the blood flowing to the ground as the guard looked down in horror at the gaping wound in his stomach. Stumbling, the man fell to the floor, agony creasing his features, and then slowly fading out as the man died. Mozenrath laughed once more, wondering to himself if the man maybe had a loving family at home, with little kids waiting at the door for the caring father who was never to return to them again. _It's just too perfect!_ Mozenrath thought, breaking into another wave of uncontrolled laughter. 

Sighing he scanned the room and checked out how his arch enemy was faring. As usual, Aladdin was in the middle of things and faring pretty well. Not a scratch could be seen on him, making Mozenrath wonder how no one was ever able to draw blood from the street rat. Sure he had a couple of bruised ribs once, but that's the worse that had ever happened to him! Oh well, soon he would be drawing plenty of blood. Looking at the rest of Aladdin's cohorts, he laughed once more as he realized that soon, he would indeed be drawing a _lot_ of blood as he tortured and killed Aladdin's friends right before his eyes. How fun indeed.

* * *

Elisa sighed mentally to herself in frustration. She had made it so far! Even though there was nothing to judge her progress by, she could tell that slowly, layer by layer she was peeling the thick fog away from her. Grunting in anticipation of the strain that lay before her, she struggled into battle once more, fighting the black mist that enclosed her. 

Then, suddenly she broke free of the confines she had been placed under. But what she saw before her boggled her mind. She still couldn't move anything on her own, but now she had the rest of her senses back: mainly touch, hearing, and sight. All she felt was a smooth cloth covering her body, pants and robes. What she heard was a different matter. All around her she heard the sounds of battle: swords clanging against swords, cries of victory, cries of defeat, and the cries of the dying or those in great agony. What she saw, however, was the worst. Before her eyes she saw the disgusting Morlacs fighting the palace guards. Suddenly, her eyes zoomed in, not of her own accord, on the figure of Aladdin fighting a Morlac. It was then that she realized that no, this wasn't her own body. As the eyes turned, she caught a sight of the body she was in: Mozenrath's.

* * *

Goliath soared high above the crowd of fighters, helping out as was needed. Mainly, though, he looked for his prey. Finally, he spotted Mozenrath floating above the crowd on the far corner of the room. It looked as though he was amused by all of the death and destruction surrounding him. This, of course, only served to fuel Goliath's anger as he dove down from above and rammed hard into the unsuspecting figure below him. 

With a crash and a groan from his enemy, the man fell to the ground under his weight. As he disentangled himself from the sorcerer's limbs, he backed away and watched as Mozenrath slowly regained his senses. But before the evil villain could try anything, Goliath charged again, driving the man that stole Elisa from him into the wall behind them. Suddenly, without warning Mozenrath brought his fist up and connected it with Goliath's face. Rearing behind the force of the blow, Goliath stumbled back. Looking up, he saw Mozenrath's eyes glowing brightly with his hands pointed at him.

* * *

Elisa could do nothing at all to stop what was happening before her. She was getting the crap beat out of her, and it hurt. She was able to feel all of the pain. When her vision finally cleared after the last hit, she could feel the magical energies inside herself begin to build. To make it worse, the energies and her gaze were all being aimed at Goliath who was standing before her. _**NO!!**_ she screamed in her mind. But it did no good, for no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't gain control of the body that she was now inhabiting.

* * *

_Ouch, that one hurt! _ Mozenrath thought to himself as he slowly regained his footing. Before he could completely come back to his senses, a massive lavender form charged him again, pushing him into the wall. Thankfully, with his new strength, he wasn't as dazed as he usually would be and shaking his head, he finally decided that enough was enough. Without warning he punched the offender in the jaw. As it stumbled back, Mozenrath finally got his first look at his attacker. There before him was Goliath. That stupid gargoyle had gotten the best of him, and for that he would pay! 

Gathering his magic, Mozenrath slowly levitated up into the air. Screaming in anger, he let loose a volley of magic at Goliath that quickly encircled him in a strong vise, like before only tighter. Just as he started to squeeze the fool to death, a sudden impulsive idea popped into his mind: why not let him live? He would trap him with the others and make the leader of the gargoyles watch while the rest of his friends died. Nodding, he turned to the rest of the room. He was sick of the game, anyway, and was ready for the end. 

With a snap of his fingers, all the bodies of the dead disappeared while the palace guards disappeared and reappeared inside a metal cage lying in the corner of the room. Then, he laughed in amusement as he made Carpet disappear under the flying Jasmine. Aladdin, seeing that his girlfriend was about to plummet to her death, jumped from his position and caught her before she hit the ground. 

Unfortunately for them both, the catch was lopsided as under the weight they both ended up sprawled on the hard marble floor. Before they could regain their senses, another metal cage appeared over them. Pointing across the room, he made the rest of the main characters of this little episode disappear, only to reappear in Aladdin's cage. First went Abu, then the red gargoyle, and finally Goliath, with Carpet appearing behind him. Laughing in amusement, he then telepathically searched the rest of the palace for anyone else hiding within its bowels. Sighing, he only sensed one other presence: a human male that was with the sleeping Elisa. With a mere thought, the human was instantly transported into the cage with the rest of his friends. Now, all was complete and ready for stage two: revenge.

* * *

Sighing wearily, Goliath rubbed his aching jaw as he slowly staggered to his feet. While the cage was a surprise, it at least kept Mozenrath occupied for the moment as he checked on the others. "Aladdin, Jasmine... are you alright?" 

"Yeah..." Aladdin groaned wearily, "I just have a sore butt from Jasmine's fall." 

"Sorry Aladdin," Jasmine replied sheepishly as she gently massaged her own aching shoulder, bruised from the fall. "But I am fine Goliath... how about you? How's your jaw?" 

"Nothing that a day's sleep won't cure," Goliath replied, brushing away her concern as he turned to his second. "Brooklyn?" 

But before Brooklyn could answer, a bright light blinded them all. As they blinked away the spots in the their vision, they were surprised at the sight before them. Slowly, Matt groaned as he picked himself up from the center of the cage. 

"Matt?" Brooklyn asked. "Are you okay? What are you doing here, I thought you were watching Elisa!" 

"I was," Matt groaned again, finally pulling himself straight with Aladdin's help. "Genie and I were guarding over Elisa when all of a sudden Genie up and disappeared. I looked all over for him, but I couldn't find him. Then the next thing I know I'm picking myself off of the floor in here with you guys... what happened?" 

"It must be Mozenrath," Aladdin whispered grimly. "Genie must have gotten away before he found you and brought you here." 

"Oh, so now he's a coward too, huh?" Brooklyn asked sarcastically. 

"Brooklyn," Goliath said, a warning in his voice. 

"Don't worry," Jasmine said reassuringly, "I'm sure that Genie had a good reason for doing what he did." 

"We only hope so," Aladdin added thoughtfully, Abu nodding his agreement.

* * *

_Well, everything is complete now, except for interrogation_, Mozenrath thought to himself as he slowly lowered to the ground. Turning to his Morlac warriors he said, "Bring me Aladdin." 

Whistling, he then walked over to the Sultan's throne and lowered himself down into the comfortable chair. Just as he was about to be completely relaxed, he was disturbed by a commotion below. Smiling, he looked up to see Aladdin struggling, each arm being held by a Morlac. 

"Aladdin!" Mozenrath called out, a bright smile lifting his lips. Getting up from the throne, he walked quickly to his arch enemy's side. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me." 

At this, Aladdin struggled even harder in the Morlacs' grips, to no avail. Their grip was like a vise, making him unable to move in the slightest. "What do you want Mozenrath?" he finally replied, his tone weary as he locked eyes with the pale man. "To gloat even more?" 

"No, that will come later," Mozenrath laughed as he slowly backed away. "Right now I want to know where Genie, the Sultan, and that stupid pet Raja is -- not to mention that worthless parrot Iago." 

At this, it was Aladdin's turn to laugh. "I'm not telling you anything!" he yelled defiantly. 

At this display of courage, Mozenrath only returned the laugh. "I was hoping you'd say that," he said as he stretched his arm back and then let it fly, landing a hard slap across Aladdin's face that cracked and echoed across the room. He watched in satisfaction as Aladdin's head whipped sideways with the force of the blow. As he turned to face Mozenrath once more, everyone could see a faint trickle of blood running from the corner of Aladdin's mouth. "Ah, so you do bleed," Mozenrath mused, his cold smile growing. "Care to answer me now?" 

With even more determination, Aladdin shook his head in defiance as he muttered a single word beneath his breath, so low that only Mozenrath could hear: no.

Laughing his evil laugh again, Mozenrath slowly nodded his head as he eyed the street rat. "You hero-types -- so typical and perfect," he laughed as he slugged him in the stomach. Groaning, Aladdin quickly doubled over in pain. Hissing as a flare of pain whipped through his hand, Mozenrath only took the pain as a price of joy as he realized that this blissful heaven could go on forever -- and for Aladdin, it must have seemed like it did. But fortunately, or unfortunately, depending upon your view of things, he finally got bored with his primitive torture. Sighing he turned to another waiting Morlac. "Fetch me the princess." 

"No!" Aladdin moaned, finding his strength as he renewed his useless struggles.

* * *

A few minutes later, Princess Jasmine ran from her captors to her bloodied boyfriend. "Aladdin! Are you alright?" she asked, fear in her heart and eyes as she looked over his wounds. 

Before Aladdin could calm her fears, the Morlacs grabbed her and dragged her away from him. "Now Princess Jasmine," Mozenrath said, looking at the sobbing princess, "maybe you will be a little more cooperative. 

"Never!" Jasmine cried, sticking her lower lip out in defiance. 

Ignoring her last statement, he asked "Where are the others? Where are your father and Genie?" he demanded, his voice cold. 

"I'm not going to tell you anything!" Jasmine said, making Aladdin proud. 

"Fine then, Morlac," he said pointing at one of the waiting zombies. With no further wait, the Morlac quickly stepped up to Aladdin and started to beat him severely. 

"**NO**! Stop!" Jasmine half screamed, half sobbed. 

With a snap of Mozenrath's fingers, the Morlac stopped the beating. "Answer me Princess, unless you want your boyfriend to pay the price of your insubordination." 

"No.. Jasmine, don't tell him anything," Aladdin wheezed in between gasps for air with his bruised ribs. 

Before Jasmine could answer, Mozenrath gave the signal for the beating to begin again. 

"Stop!" Jasmine pleaded as just as quickly the abuse stopped while Mozenrath merely raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her response. With tears in her eyes, she looked over at Aladdin. The only thing that was holding him up anymore was the Morlacs on either side of him. His eye was already darkening, while his lip was bulged and swollen. The rest of his body was also turning black and blue and covered in blood. "Fine," she sobbed, "you win,' she whispered, knowing that she couldn't see her love hurt.. not Aladdin. 

"Good," Mozenrath answered, a glint in his eyes, "where are they?" 

"They're all gone. My father has been on a trip to visit a foreign land for the past two weeks... he took Raja and Iago along." 

"And Genie?" 

"He's on vacation somewhere in the world," Jasmine whispered, her eyes hidden behind her thick lashes as she pulled weakly at an arm restraining her. 

"Thank you princess," Mozenrath whispered, his cold smile growing. "Morlacs, take them back to their cage," he ordered, following behind the group. It was time for their demise.

* * *

Elisa couldn't stand it much longer. For the past twenty minutes, she had watched and had taken part in the beating of Aladdin. As much as she tried to resist, she couldn't stop Mozenrath's hands, her hands in a way, from beating poor Aladdin. The police part of her just wanted to get out there and stop the interrogation right then and there, but she couldn't. Finally, Jasmine gave in. Not that Elisa could blame her, for if it was Goliath being tortured, she would have caved also. As they walked back to the cage holding her friends, one thought rang loud and clear through Mozenrath's mind: it was time to kill them all. 

**_NO! _** she had to stop him somehow. Suddenly, her friends were before them. They all gasped in shock as they got a good look at Aladdin. Voicing their displeasure, Brooklyn and Goliath turned hot white eyes at her, or Mozenrath. 

"Mozenrath! You will pay for this outrage!!" Goliath roared, stepping up to the thick iron bars. 

"Oh," she replied, "so the mighty gargoyle would like to be the first to perish... fine! For some reason I was sparing you, but no longer!" she yelled with Mozenrath's voice. "Prepare to meet your beloved in the beyond..." Then she felt herself give her love a devilish look as she said, "oh wait, I guess you'll be all alone because Elisa will always be with me right here," she finished, tapping her head. 

"Mozenrath, I do not know how, but somehow you will pay for all that you have done to us here," Goliath warned, his voice slowly growing in intensity. "If not by me, or the people here, then by my clan... you **will** pay!" Goliath roared angrily at the evil person before him. 

But she just laughed as the power gathered and she slowly raised her hand and pointed at Goliath. _No!_ Elisa screamed to herself. _I've finally found my love for him and I refuse to let this psycho tear it all apart... he will not hurt Goliath! Never!_ she thought to herself as she began to fight even harder against the restraints.

* * *

The group could only look on in terror as Mozenrath gathered his mystical energy and began to channel it towards Goliath. There was nothing any of them could do except watch as their friend and leader was about to be executed. Mozenrath's hands began to glow an eerie green as his power came to a boiling point. But then, just as it seemed he was about to unleash it all, a blank look came over his face. Without blinking an eye, the hand lowered back to his side as Mozenrath stood before them, looking at nothing and no one, apparently unaware of his surroundings. 

"Goliath?" Brooklyn whispered to his leader, "what's going on?" 

"I do not know, my friend, I do not know."

* * *

"Oh God, what's going on?" Elisa said aloud as she picked herself up from the ground. Looking around in amazement, she found herself in the middle of a rocky plain that stretched as far as her eyes could see. The sky above her was black and stormy with lightning flashing every few seconds as a cold wind blew from all directions. "Thank God for well-insulated jackets," she whispered to herself, patting her familiar red jacket as she scanned the sky -- and then froze as she realized what she just said. _"_I have my body back," she whispered to herself in disbelief, never believing that she would ever again be so happy to see her familiar pair of blue jeans and scuffed black boots. Quickly she checked her holster and was disappointed to discover that it was minus her revolver. 

"Figures," she muttered as she buried her disappointment, focusing on the most important question first. "Now where in the hell am I?" she asked to no one in particular, considering that she was the only one here. Or was she? Suddenly, she saw a shape lying on the ground a couple feet from her. Moving slowly, she walked forward and recognized Mozenrath's form. Now it all made sense. 

Quickly she backed away as the figure began to stir. "Oh, my aching head," Mozenrath mumbled to himself as he sat up. When he looked up, shock was written clearly on his face as he recognized Elisa Maza standing before him. "You! What are you doing here?... you should be sleeping, you have no control!" 

"Well, it looks like I've regained control, and I want my body back!" Elisa cried out defiantly, her hands resting on each hip. 

"Your body? But..." he stuttered until realization came to his face. "We're still in my head, aren't we?" 

"Gee, for some big and powerful sorcerer, you sure are slow on the pick up!" Elisa scoffed, scanning the horizon. 

"Well, then I guess that I'll just have to put you back where you belong so I can finish what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted!" Mozenrath hissed as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his tattered robes. 

Instantly, Elisa's eyes flew back to Mozenrath as she pierced him with her fiery gaze. "Don't you even _ think_ of hurting Goliath!" she yelled, her eyes turning an eerie green. 

"What are you doing?" he mumbled in first confusion, "What's going on with your eyes?" he continued, fear finally entering him at the sight before him. "What _are_ you?" he whispered as before his very eyes, Elisa started to float a few feet off of the ground, her eyes green and her raven hair billowing out behind her. 

"You dare threaten me?" Elisa replied, her voice echoing ominously around him. "You take me from my home, from my dimension! You touch me in ways that I've never permitted you to! You take my soul! You hurt, beat, and torture my friends! You threaten my love! You think that you can get away with all of these atrocities?" Elisa said, the color intensity of her eyes becoming even brighter. 

By this time, despite his fright, Mozenrath's own anger had been raised. Straightening his shoulders he reached his gloved hand toward the floating Elisa. "Yes I do! Don't think that a puny little human with a few tricks up her sleeve can stop my plans for world domination!" he hissed scornfully. "There's no way you're getting back to your body. And after I seal the consciousness of your soul in the darkest corner of my mind, I will kill all of your friends one by one. Then I will move on to your beloved gargoyle, letting him watch them all die and knowing that it was your soul that was providing it! Then I will use your body in ways that you can't even imagine!" he laughed, eyeing her lewdly. "After I conquer this world, I will conquer your dimension and wreak destruction on your friends and family!! No one will be safe from the powers of Mozenrath!" he ranted crazily. 

In response, Elisa could only stare at this monster in disbelief. "My God, you are _so_ pathetic!" she replied, laughing in his face. "What is with bad guys and ranting about their plans for world domination? Do you think that your threats could possibly scare me? Me?" she laughed, stretching her hands out to either side. "Geez, join a help group or something! Oh, wait, better yet I can introduce you to someone back home... his name is Xanatos and you guys would get along great. Or better yet... have you ever heard of Demona, I think she's more your style," Elisa taunted, shaking her head in disgust. 

At these repeated jabs at his ego, Mozenrath had finally had enough and let loose a volley of magic against Elisa's hovering form. But then shock covered his face as Elisa was not destroyed like planned, but instead absorbed the energy shot at her. The more magic she absorbed, the brighter she got. Soon, when it didn't seem that she could get any brighter, all of the energy exploded back out of her hands and into him. The force of the blow threw him high into the air and back into... his own body. Shaking his head, Mozenrath slowly got to his feet and looked around him. His prisoners in their cages were staring at him with open mouths -- pretty understandable considering that for apparently no reason at all, he had just flown halfway across the room. 

Angrily, he attempted to teleport back to the cage, something that should have taken a snap of his fingers with his new powers. Now though, nothing happened. _Her soul is gone, and with it her power!_ he thought crazily to himself as he slowly staggered away from the others. Then, fuming to himself, Mozenrath quickly stalked over to the cage. With or without her magic, he was still more than capable of finishing off his enemies -- starting with Goliath. 

Smiling evilly, he pointed his gloved hand at his awaiting victim. Then, just as he was about to let loose his volley of magic, he noticed that his captives were not even looking in his direction. Instead, everyone seemed to be looking a little off to his right with their jaws nearly touching the floor. Turning in that direction, Mozenrath saw why as he saw the same hovering form of Elisa Maza once more. "Not you again!" he yelled at Elisa. But this time he had learned his lesson, and without wasting another second Mozenrath quickly bolted from the room and began running up the winding stairs of one of the many towers of the palace. 

"Elisa?" Goliath asked, amazed. There at the door to the room was Elisa, floating at least three feet off the floor. Not only was she back in her own body, but her eyes were glowing an eerie green color and her hair was being pushed back by an invisible wind, the silk of her clothes rustling in it. 

"Goliath?" Elisa returned, her voice completely normal as she floated closer to the group, a soft smile on her face. 

"Uh, Elisa?" Matt said quietly, "you're floating." 

"I know Matt," Elisa smiled, "but we can worry about that later... right now I need to set you free and then take care of Mozenrath." 

"Sure, whatever you say," Brooklyn added, joining the conversation. 

Nodding her agreement, Jasmine then elbowed Aladdin gently in the side to remind him to close his mouth. 

Quickly, Elisa finished the distance to the cage. As she set down on the floor, she looked at the door to the little prison and chanted, "The little prison that confines them here, I deem now to disappear." At the end of the chant, green energy flowed from her hands. As the mist surrounded the two prisons, it tightened in and then disappeared. The guards and her friends looked at her, shocked in amazement at the show of magic. But suddenly, everyone's attention was quickly drawn away from Elisa as Aladdin slumped to the floor. 

"Aladdin?" Jasmine called quickly, running to her love's side. 

Elisa, too ran over to Aladdin, guilt covering her face. "Aladdin, you've done so much for me, and because of my magic this happens," she said, anger replacing her features once more. 

"Magic?" Goliath mumbled. Until then he was a quiet observer, still getting over the shock of seeing his love return from the dead so to speak. 

Without replying to Goliath, Elisa knelt down beside her injured friend. "Here, let me help." 

Not really knowing what she meant, Jasmine complied and moved away from Aladdin. Curious, she watched as Elisa made Aladdin lay on the stone floor, placing her hands upon his bare chest. 

"Forces of magic that I call upon, to undo this horrible and mighty wrong. This person before me should not be in pain, so now I take it and thus do contain," Elisa chanted quietly, so that everyone had to lean forward to hear. Suddenly they all backed away as green light spread from her hands to his chest, and quickly enveloped the groaning Aladdin. Within a matter of seconds, all cuts and bruises to be seen on Aladdin's body slowly disappeared like there was nothing there in the first place. Then, the green mist left Aladdin's body and came back into Elisa.

* * *

_Oh God the pain, _ Elisa thought to herself as she absorbed the agony from Aladdin. As soon as the light died away, Elisa staggered to her feet. Holding her head in her hands, she almost fell before Goliath caught her. 

"Elisa? Are you alright?" he asked quickly, concern written all over his face. 

"Yeah, fine... just remind to invest in Tylenol when we get back!" she jested to him as she tried to shake away the pain. 

"Uh, Elisa? Not to interrupt or anything," Matt cut in quickly, "but what about Mozenrath?" 

"He's not going anywhere!" Elisa said, her anger making her eyes glow green once more. Not waiting for anyone else, Elisa quickly chanted aloud, "Forces of Avalon allow me to go, bring me to my hated foe!" Then, as the mist started to surround her once more, she was slightly surprised to feel two pairs of hands latch onto her, dragging themselves with her. When the mist cleared, she looked around and found herself on one of the highest balconies of the palace. There before her was Mozenrath. 

Not waiting for him to notice her, Elisa quickly threw a bolt of green at him, releasing all of the pent-up agony that she had taken from Aladdin, hitting him in the back. With a groan, he slid to the ground, now experiencing the pain that he had inflicted. Then, not wasting another second, she quickly cast a spell on him, similar to the one that was put on Goliath as a vise held him standing upright at the edge of the balcony. He couldn't move a muscle. 

Mozenrath, quickly regaining his senses, vainly began to struggle. When he discovered it was useless, he looked up to Elisa, cringing at the green glow of her eyes. 

"How does it feel to be the one in the vise? Not a lot of fun, huh?" Elisa whispered, her voice hard and cold. "Maybe I should begin to squeeze it like you did to Goliath. What do you think of that? I think that's a good plan. For now you shall die Mozenrath, so you can never harm me or my friends again!" Elisa yelled, as she prepared herself for the final squeeze. 

"Elisa, no," Matt stated quietly from beside her, touching her arm gently. "You're a cop, you can't do it that way -- it's wrong." 

"Matt, you weren't there," Elisa ground out, fighting off tears as she forced her eyes to remain locked on the demon that had tortured them all, "you don't know what it was like!" she stated as she heard the voice that she knew belonged to the second pair of hands she felt: Goliath. 

"Elisa, this is not you," his low voice rumbled from beside her. 

Shaking her head slowly, Elisa refused to meet his dark, onyx eyes. "Goliath, he caused so much pain and suffering. He must be dealt with." 

"That is not your way... it's his! To do so would be lowering yourself to his levels," Goliath reasoned calmly. "The decision is yours." 

At this statement, Elisa lowered her head sadly. Goliath was right. 

"There must be something else that we can do to make sure that this never happens again," Matt pleaded quietly, tightening his grip on her arm. 

"Well, there is something else that I can do," she whispered, not quite knowing how she knew, but also realizing that it was going to take a _lot_ out of her. But she didn't want to say that last part out loud, for chances were that Goliath would try to stop her -- but it was the only way. Walking away from her friends, she stood next to Mozenrath at the edge of the balcony, her eyes boring into his own. 

"I bind you from doing harm Mozenrath," she whispered, feeling this new-found magic gather around her like a forgotten friend, "harm against other people and harm against yourself. I bind you Mozenrath from doing harm," she continued, her voice growing stronger, "harm against other people and harm against yourself. I bind you Mozenrath from doing harm, harm against other people and harm against yourself. I bind you Mozenrath from doing harm, harm against other people and harm against yourself. I bind you Mozenrath from doing harm, harm against other people and harm against yourself." 

As Elisa continued chanting, a green mist formed around her and connected to Mozenrath's form. As each phrase went out, the mist got brighter and brighter. Shielding their eyes, Matt and Goliath could only watch in awe as their detective friend produced magic that they never knew she was capable of. About five minutes of chanting later, the light suddenly exploded. When their eye sight cleared, everything looked the same. Mozenrath was still standing next to Elisa, only now instead of a plumber's glove, his hand was back as he wore a dazed and confused expression on his face. 

Goliath, turning to see if Matt had noticed it as well, turned quickly when he heard Elisa moan. Gasping, he noticed something else that he failed to notice earlier: Elisa's dark tan complexion had now changed to a pasty white. Before he could take a step in her direction, Elisa fell to the side, which happened to be the short wall of the balcony. As Goliath ran towards her, Elisa fell limply over the side and began to fall. Roaring out in protest, Goliath sailed over the side of the balcony and started his glide down. In order to go faster, he tucked his wings to his side, doing a head first plummet. It reminded him of his first dream in this strange land. He couldn't let it end like the dream! Slowly, he began to gain on his beloved below him. "Elisa!" he roared, "I'm coming." 

Suddenly, about twenty feet before the ground, his reaching arm grasped onto her hand. Getting a firm grip, with a little bit of luck and years of gargoyle experience, he was able to pull out of the dive, with only five feet to spare. As he soared back into the dawning sky, he pulled Elisa up and carried her in his arms. 

Weakly, Elisa looked up and met her rescuer's eyes. "Goliath?" 

Goliath smiled down at his love and said, "I told you I'd 'catch you ever' you fall!" 

Smiling, Elisa nodded weakly in recognition of the verse of the song she had played for him. "So you did." 

"Are you okay Elisa?" 

"Yes, just tired.... I used up the majority of my energy on that one," she admitted with a soft sigh. 

Nodding, Goliath circled around once more and landed on the balcony, Elisa cradled in his arms. Looking around, he saw that the palace guards were putting manacles onto Mozenrath, and that the rest of the group was there. 

"I told you that she fell off buildings a lot!" quipped a cheerful voice from behind Goliath. Turning quickly, he saw Genie floating behind him in a puckish manner: namely sitting Indian style. 

"You! Now can you tell us what is going on?" Goliath demanded, feeling his anger grow once more. 

"A little," Genie acknowledged with a quirky smile, "but we should wait until sunset, I think that Elisa needs the sleep.. that spell was a doozy!" Genie said with a wink at Elisa. "Also, the sun will be up in a matter of minutes. 

Nodding in agreement, the group decided that questions could wait till later. Now was time for clean up and rest. Actually, the clean up was all being handled by Genie and his "construction crew," in other words, more of himself in jeans and tank tops. Elisa was given a room, and she fell asleep immediately when Goliath laid her on the bed. Matt soon fell asleep on a couch beside her bed, unwilling to leave her side. Like Matt, Goliath and Brooklyn took their perches on the balcony outside the room, unwilling to stray too far from her side. They all figured that it was due to the fact of how close they all came to losing her. With a last look over his shoulder, Goliath turned to stone, with dreams of Elisa waiting for him.

* * *

That night, they were all gathered around the dining room table once more. Everyone was feeling rested and ready for a question session. But, before anyone could start, Elisa turned to Genie and said, "Hi.... I guess that we haven't officially met yet. My name is Elisa Maza." 

"Hi! I know who you are already, it'd be hard not to," Genie quipped as he eagerly reached forward to shake her hand. "As for me, my name is Genie. Also, I'm a Genie." 

Shaking her head ruefully, Elisa said, "Gee, I never would have guessed. First, do you know what happened last night?" 

"Which part? Mozenrath? The cage? My departure? Or would you be talking about your magic?" 

"The magic part," Elisa said with a little laugh. "I mean, I'm just an ordinary detective. What happened?" 

"If you're anything, you're not normal!" Matt said, receiving an annoyed glare from Elisa in return. "Sorry." 

"Well, he's right you know!" Genie broke in on Matt's defense. "I mean, I can't answer all of your questions, but from what I've read about your destiny, you're anything but normal." 

"What you've read about my destiny?" Elisa asked, cocking her eyebrow in trademark fashion. 

"Long story," Jasmine sighed. 

"Good call Princess!" Genie called out happily, "hey, have you ever considered that as a profession.." 

"Genie..." Jasmine cut in warningly. 

"Okay, all that I can tell you is that the magic I sensed from you was definitely the kind only found with the third race," Genie stated, his eyebrows wiggling. "I heard that you know the King and Queen of Avalon... if I were you, I'd take it up with them," he finished in a matter of fact tone of voice. 

"What?!" Elisa asked incredulously. 

"Why did you not aid us in this fight, Genie?" Goliath rumbled, closing Elisa's jaw. 

Thankful at the change of topic, Genie quickly said, "Because Fate ordered me to stay out of this one. I could only be an observer and kind of an informant at the end of the journey. Besides, no matter what I did, only Elisa could have returned her soul to her body -- only her and her magic." 

"Yeah, right," Elisa muttered, slowly getting to her feet, trying to ignore the strange ring of truth the words of the large blue guy had on her. "Either way, we really should be heading back home." 

"Wait, one more question, Elisa," Aladdin called out, halting her with a small smile. "What happened when you healed me?" 

Sighing, Elisa slowly settled back into her seat. "I was kind of waiting for that question," she admitted. "For some reason, which will be figured out when I get home, I knew how to heal you... all I had to do was take your pain away from you and put it inside me." 

"Ouch, where is it now?" 

"When I first found Mozenrath upstairs, that's what I hit him with, everything he inflicted upon you!" Elisa laughed. 

At this, Aladdin merely smiled, glad to have his payback in at least some small way. 

"What about Mozenrath?" Jasmine called out, a hint of fear in her voice. 

"Mozenrath won't be harming anyone anymore. The spell that I cast on him, which I still don't know how, made him without magic. To make it even worse, he probably doesn't even remember anything at all. It's like he's already been through a correctional institute. He's been redeemed and is ready to start a new life," Elisa replied calmly. 

Now it was Aladdin's turn to be incredulous. "Yeah, right." 

"Just save your judgment till you see him," Elisa warned. 

With that settled, the group began their goodbyes. With everything said and done, Aladdin and Jasmine watched as their new-found friends launched into the air: Goliath with Elisa cradled in his arms, and Brooklyn with Matt on his back. 

After a couple of minutes, the group found the mirror in the alleyway once again. Slowly Goliath reached forward and hesitantly touched the glass. To his relief, his hand passed right through. "Good, it's still operational," he sighed. "Ladies first," he said to Elisa and watched as she disappeared through the glass. Next was Brooklyn, then Matt, with Goliath bringing up the rear. As Goliath was pushed through the other side, he sighed in relief. They had arrived with little time to spare before dawn. Turning, he quickly grabbed the edge of the mirror and pulled with all of his strength, watching in satisfaction as the wooden frame tore from the wall and hurtled towards the floor. To the satisfying sounds of shattering glass, the group then ran out of the spooky town house and to the street below. 

Elisa sighed in relief when she saw her car where she left it, with no noticeable vandalism present. Turning quickly she caught Goliath's eye and said, "Meet you at the castle." 

Nodding an affirmative, Goliath and Brooklyn quickly took to the air as Elisa and Matt hopped into the fairlane. Grinning, Elisa quickly pulled away from the townhouse and soon re-entered the bustling Manhattan traffic. After dropping off Matt at his apartment first, Elisa then continued on to the Eyrie building. As she ran onto the ramparts, she was greeted by a throng of friends, with Brooklyn and Goliath in the middle. Standing around them were Angela, Hudson, Broadway, Lexington, Bronx, Owen, Fox, and Xanatos. All were questioning them furiously as to their whereabouts for the last four nights. 

"Goliath?" Elisa called out from the doorway. Immediately all conversation stopped at the sound of her voice. 

"Elisa?" they all questioned, giving her glances that varied from surprise (Lex, Broadway, Hudson), to admiration (Angela), to envy (Fox), to plain appreciation (Xanatos). Wondering what they were looking at, she once again turned a dark shade of red as she realized that she had forgotten her clothes back at the palace and that she was still wearing Jasmine's skimpy clothing. 

"Uh... long story," she said quickly as she shuffled further into the shadows. "Goliath? Can I talk to you?" she called out once more. 

Nodding quickly, Goliath stepped away from the others and drew Elisa away from her hiding place until they stood at the edge of the rampart. Gently, he lifted her into his arms and dove into the dark night sky, ignoring his harried clan as he soared up to his perch on the highest tower. Sighing in relief at avoiding the questions, he turned to Elisa and asked, "You wanted to talk?" 

"Yes... Goliath, we almost lost each other here, and that made me realize something..." 

"What?" Goliath asked curiously, although he already suspected that he knew the answer. 

"That I love you," Elisa said simply, looking at the ground. 

Smiling, Goliath drew Elisa into his arms, folding his wings around her frail body, "I love you too," he whispered for the first time, softly into her ears. "And no matter what is going on, we will go to Avalon together to face it!" he said fiercely, his eyes glowing a fierce white. Smiling, he then reached down and lifted Elisa's chin, so she was looking him in the eyes. "I do love you, and nothing will ever change that!" he said as he lowered his lips to her, sharing their first "real" kiss. Sadly, the kiss ended all too quickly as Goliath jumped to his perch and faced the coming sun.

* * *

Red eyes glowed evilly from one of the dark corners of the castle. _They think they love each other, do they? That's what they think! Goliath is mine, and that ** human** won't get in the way!_ Demona thought to herself as she left her hiding place and soared unseen to a nearby building. Gritting in expectation of the pain to come, she lowered herself to her knees on the jagged surface of the roof. She wasn't disappointed as she barely made it down before the transformation took place. Luckily, she had long since learned to control her screams of agony. Standing up a few minutes later, Dominique Destine sighed as she watched her love in his daily perch. The human would soon be no more, and then there would be nothing standing in her way of her love and her family. 

**The End**


	3. The Gift

The Gift

****"The Gift"  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on 9/25/97

Revised on 5/28/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is set a week after _A Simple Kiss_. 

Brief summary: Demona is at it again with revenge on the mind. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content

**__**The Gift 

Nightstone Building - 1:00pm 

As the sunlight twinkled through the clear glass windows, it cast shaded rainbows of color that splashed the luxurious office with warmth. The very thought of it sickened Dominique as she angrily reached forward and closed the massive blinds with a simple twist of her wrist, sending the large office into darkness. She was in no mood to be greeted by the beauty of the day as her heart continued to live with the night. And tonight would prove to be a very special night indeed.

She was a sworn enemy to her clan -- driven away from them by her need to cleanse the Earth of the betraying humans that adorned her shores. She knew that she was hated by them all -- even her own daughter, but was comforted by the fact that soon they all could be hers again. If only she could teach them, show them, the evil that resided in those that she trusted. Her main obstacle was the human known as Detective Elisa Maza.

The woman was beloved by Demona's clan -- adored, trusted, and almost worshipped by some. And after the conversation that she had overheard a few weeks back, she knew that her worst nightmare had been fulfilled as she learned that Goliath, her love, had finally given her the ultimate betrayal by loving one not of their own species. Even the thought of it now was enough to curdle her stomach and tighten her fists in anger. For that violation, the human had to die. And tonight it would happen.

Grinning, Dominique Destine slowly moved around her large, mahogany desk and settled into the plump, leather chair that sat behind him. Adjusting her trim business suit, Dominique carefully reviewed her notes, making sure that everything was in place. She had already called in her favor to the Police Commissioner, ensuring the Detective would have the night off. And according to those that she had hired to tail the woman, she knew by now that a night off would be spent patrolling with Goliath, always following the same route like clockwork. Smiling, Dominique leaned back in her chair and listened as her deep laughter filled its empty spaces. Everything was falling nicely in to place. And this time, the human would die. Then, she and her mate would be reunited, the clan would obediently follow their rule, and the humans would fall under their combined wrath. 

Chuckling, Demona lovingly eyed the sharp dart that she held in her pale pink hands. She had many plans and schemes to ensure that everything would fall into place just as she had planned. Getting the Detective out of the picture was just the first of many.

Castle Wyvern - 8:45pm 

Elisa sighed wearily as she climbed the final steps leading up to the highest tower of Castle Wyvern, noting that she had just made it in time. As she watched in anticipation, the sun slowly dipped down over the horizon, painting the sky in an assortment of beautiful hues. Yet, with the departure of the sun's rays, a faint cracking noise filled the night sky. Finally, as Elisa watched, a long awaited roar shook the castle to its very foundation. Almost in tandem, other roars joined in, making it a pure symphony of noise. 

"Hey Big Guy!" Elisa called out softly as a great winged form turned to face her. 

"Elisa!" Goliath called out, a smile lighting up his usual grim countenance. Jumping from his daily perch he walked toward his love and enveloped her in his warm embrace, wrapping his leathery wings around her slim form. Breathing in her familiar scent, Goliath slowly stepped back to inspect her closely, finding that once more, all looked the same as before their trip to Agrabah. She was still wearing her trademark jeans, tee-shirt, and red jacket and her grin was the same confident one that she flashed him every evening. Brushing her long raven locks away from her face he asked, "Are you alright, my love?" 

At this, Elisa's good mood quickly vanished as her feelings of frustration finally boiled over as she felt her temper flare briefly. "I'm fine Goliath!" she cried, more than a little exasperated as she quickly pulled away. Sighing, she gently tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear as she fumed silently. "Ever since we returned from our little adventure last week you've been fawning over me like I'm a China doll!" Sighing once more, Elisa bit back her angry tirade. "It's getting old Goliath," she continued, shaking her head wearily, "you should know by now that I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

Stepping back, Goliath's expression quickly turned to one of hurt. "I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you... I know that you are capable of taking care of yourself," he rumbled, "I was only referring to your newly discovered magical ability," he explained stiffly, his eyes turning away. 

"Oh, sorry Goliath," Elisa replied, instantly feeling contrite as a guilty look crossed her features. "I guess that I'm just on the defensive," she admitted sheepishly as she gently placed an apologetic hand on his large lavender arm. "Matt's been driving me crazy!" 

Smirking, Goliath nodded his acceptance of her apology before slowly turning her words over in his mind. "How do you mean?" 

At this, Elisa blew a frustrated sigh before slowly turning away to pace the large tower, the cool wind tousling her long raven locks. "He's acting more like he's my protector then my partner," she began, a frown pulling at her lips. "Last night, for example, at the end of our shift we had a call about a convenience store robbery with hostages. When we got there, like usual Captain Chavez prepared me to go in," Elisa explained, turning back to Goliath, "but suddenly Matt stepped in and told the Captain that I wasn't fit to go in. Can you believe it? He actually told her that!" she cried, her eyes flaring in anger. 

"I am sure he was just worried about your well being," Goliath put in gently, trying to soothe her frazzled nerves. 

"I know, I know," Elisa sighed, shaking her head slowly, "but you guys have to realize that I can take care of myself," she finished firmly. 

"Understood," Goliath said, a small smile lighting up his face. "Now, about your magic..." he trailed off. 

"Still there," Elisa grinned, almost looking excited by the idea. "I practiced a little at my apartment earlier, and it's still all fresh in my mind." 

"Like what?" 

At this, Elisa grinned mischievously. "Watch," she commanded as she closed her eyes and began to chant quietly beneath her breath, so quiet that Goliath couldn't hear her muttered words. Then, her eyes shot open, glowing a bright green light as she levitated into the night sky. Then her words became audible as she said:

_"Magics of Avalon, come to me_  
_Grant my wish and let it be._  
_Change my form to the one I deem,_  
_Change my form to the one I see."_

As the green mist enveloped her once more, Goliath stepped back in surprise. The glow brightened till he had to shield his eyes, then disappeared. As his vision cleared he saw Elisa before him -- only an Elisa that he had only seen once before. "Elisa?" he asked, shocked to his very core at the sight before him. She looked the same as after the incident with Titania's mirror; the same face and hair, only with fangs, pointed ears, talons, and a lean and tan gargoyle body. She was the most beautiful gargoyle he had ever seen. 

"Well," she finally began timidly, "what d'ya think?" 

"You are beautiful," Goliath breathed, admiring the vision before him as he walked up to Elisa and gathered her into his arms. But their embrace was interrupted as the clan landed with a flurry of wings behind them. 

"Goliath!" Hudson called out to his friend. "Are ye alright lad?" 

"Yeah," Lexington chimed in, "we saw a flash of green up here -- like magic!" 

Wincing, Goliath slowly unfurled his wings from Elisa's form and turned to face his clan. As to be expected, everyone gasped in amazement at the tan gargoyle at his side, previously hidden in his embrace. "Elisa?" 

"What happened? Who did this to ye again, lass?" Hudson asked anxiously. 

"Elisa?" Angela asked, slowly circling the female gargoyle before her. "Is it really you?" 

"Yes, it's me Angela," Elisa answered wearily, sending Goliath an apologetic look over his daughter's shoulders. 

"That's right, Angela hasn't heard about the first time Elisa was turned into a gargoyle yet," Broadway added as he stepped beside the astounded gargess. 

"The first time?" Angela gasped, turning to look at the large, portly blue gargoyle. "You mean you were a gargoyle before?" she continued in amazement, turning back to Elisa with questioning eyes. 

"A long story that'll have to wait for another time," Elisa sighed wearily -- something that she seemed to be doing a lot lately. Ever since they had returned from their unexpected trip to Agrabah a week ago, they had all been too busy to fully fill everyone in as to what happened. She had been too busy getting yelled at by Captain Chavez with Matt for disappearing in the middle of their shift. 

_I don't think she truly bought our story of unexpectedly going deep under cover, only to have our cover blown as the crooks all fled the country, resulting in no arrests and not being able to identify anyone. At least she's not pushing it and letting it drop_, she thought wryly to herself. When she had told Goliath their excuse, he had burst out laughing. _Hey, if anything, you can't say that Matt and I aren't creative... at least I shot down his idea about being abducted by aliens and having no other recollections about our whereabouts_, she had quickly retorted, to Goliath's even great amusement_._ From there, as a sort of punishment, Captain Chavez had them working double shifts for the last week. Tonight was her first night off, with Matt still working. When she was told that she didn't need to come in tonight, Matt about died. 

As for Goliath and Brooklyn, they'd been too busy patrolling and protecting the city to give much of an explanation. From what Goliath had told her the other night, they had told the clan and Xanatos that she had been kidnapped by a psycho named Mozenrath and that they were able to get away and come home in the end. They had decided to wait until Elisa was ready to tell them the rest. And, looking around at the expectant clan, Elisa realized that now was as good as a time as any. Looking around, she saw Goliath raise his eyebrows at her, as if saying "all yours" while Brooklyn nodded his head knowingly. Grimacing, she then noticed that besides the clan, Xanatos, Fox, and Owen had joined the group. 

"Well, lass?" Hudson prodded gently. 

"Detective Maza? Who did this to you?" Owen asked in his calm, almost robotic monotone. 

"Well... I did," Elisa admitted slowly to several gasps from her friends. 

"What do you mean?" Lexington asked in confusion, his little green brow scrunching up as he eyed his friend skeptically -- not that she could blame him. 

"Well...." Elisa trailed off, thinking of how best to put this. "You know our trip last week?" 

"Yes, Detective? Go on," Xanatos said impatiently.

"Well..." Elisa began again before realizing that there really was no easy way to go about this without sounding like a lunatic. "Well," she repeated, almost closing her eyes against her friends' puzzled glances, "we were in another dimension, in a city called Agrabah, where this guy Mozenrath, who is very evil, used his magic to take my soul to increase his power and had captured everyone and was about to kill Goliath when I discovered that I could fight back with magic and managed to stop him and free myself," she explained in one huge breath of air. "Then, before we left, Genie, who's a real genie out of a bottle, said that the magic was Avalon magic," Elisa finished in a huff. 

After she finished, there was a stunned silence as the group tried to absorb the wild story they had just been told. Then, the quiet was broken as everyone seemed to ask their questions at once: 

"Another dimension?" Lex asked. 

"He took your soul?" Angela demanded, concern coloring her voice. 

"A genie?" Fox asked skeptically. 

"Avalon magic?" Owen/Puck asked in his calm voice, arching his eyebrow quizzically at her. 

Then the question came that she had been waiting for, and by the person she knew would ask it. "So," Xanatos said, cutting in on the questions. Immediately, everyone stopped talking and listened closely to the billionaire. "You think you can perform magic?" 

"Yes," Elisa said, biting back her sharp retort and hoping that his questions weren't leading in the direction she feared. 

"And you changed yourself back into a gargoyle because..." Xanatos said, leaving the statement open ended, raising his eyebrow skeptically as he waited for a reply. 

"To show Goliath what I had learned to do," Elisa explained slowly, almost uncomfortable under his piercing gaze. "You see, spells and incantations are coming to me slowly, and I remembered how to do this one earlier today." 

"You remembered?" Owen broke in quickly, "as in you had learned all of this before?" 

"That would be the definition of remembered, wouldn't it?" she bit back sarcastically before slowly flushing under Goliath's gaze. "I mean, yeah, it feels like the magic has always been a part of me, along with the knowledge, but that I'm only starting to rediscover it." 

"Did ye learn it as a wee one, lass?" Hudson asked while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

"No, and that's the strange part," Elisa broke in quickly, excitedly, "nothing like this has ever happened to me before." 

"Then where did you learn it?" Broadway asked. 

"Maybe we should ask Owen," Xanatos cut in before Elisa could answer, turning to his trusted aide. 

"Me, sir?" 

"Well, more specifically, I was thinking of Puck," Xanatos hedged as he thoughtfully stroked his goatee. "I mean, she was told the magic was Avalon in nature, and you _ are_ our resident expert when it comes to Avalon." 

"I'm sorry to report, sir, that Puck cannot say," Owen replied stonily. 

"Why not?" Elisa asked quickly. 

"He has a few ideas why Detective Maza is in this predicament, but the issue is best brought before the King and Queen of Avalon," Owen continued slowly. "It is their place to tell, not mine. And unfortunately, I will be unable to summon the skiff for you as this obviously has nothing to do with the protection of Alexander -- and I believe," he continued, throwing a glance at his employers, "that Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos would not appreciate that skill taught to their son." 

"Correct indeed, Owen," Fox put in quickly, absently rubbing her arm as though chilled by the very thought of her son being able to summon a skiff to the place where she almost lost him to -- to her own mother. 

"That's okay," Elisa quickly cut in, waving away Fox's concern. "I can summon the skiff when I'm ready to go." 

"You know how to summon the skiff?" Goliath asked just as quickly, surprise registering on his own craggy features. 

Surprised herself, Elisa slowly nodded her head. "I guess so," she murmured, a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't even realize that I knew until the issue came up." 

"Too bad you didn't know it when we were being sent all over the world by Avalon," Angela laughed quietly, breaking through the thick tension with a small, knowing smile. 

Sending her friend a grateful smile, Elisa quickly agreed. "No kidding! That really would have come in handy," she laughed, only to be cut short by Brooklyn's quiet question. 

"But you're not going to Avalon yet, are you?" he asked, the concern obvious in his voice. 

"No," Elisa quickly stressed, shaking her head as a grimace bit at her features. "The Captain barely let me have tonight off -- I can't take the time off work yet. Knowing last time, I'm going to try and swing two weeks off when I'm ready to go just in case something comes up." 

"Good thinking, Elisa," Goliath said, finally joining the conversation as he tried to save her from the prying questions. "And since it _ is_ your night off, would you like to go patrolling with me? It would give those wings of your a try," he said with a small smile as he playfully batted at her large appendages. 

"I was starting to think that you'd never ask," Elisa quickly replied, a smile lighting up her face. Quickly, the two linked hands and were about to escape to the night sky when a voice stopped them. 

"Detective!" 

Turning around, Elisa groaned quietly to herself before plastering on a bright smile. "Yes Xanatos?"

"You can't leave without giving us a demonstration of your magic first," he stated in his charming baritone, gesturing to her curious audience. "After all, it is quite a story that you've fed us -- a little proof wouldn't be asking for too much." 

Sighing, Elisa gave Goliath an apologetic look as she jumped down from the parapets, the crowd of friends backing up, giving her room to work. But being on the highest tower, that wasn't much. In eager anticipation, all eyes were turned to the figure before them. As the wind whipped around the tower, her long raven locks stood tall behind her head. Her jeans rustled slightly as her black midriff fluttered in the breeze. Closing her eyes, Elisa caped her wings over her shoulders and took a couple of deep breaths. Suddenly her eyes flew open, changed from her chocolate brown to a bright green as the green mist surrounded her body and she once more levitated above the ground:

_A show the curious want to see,_  
_and here they wait, eager to be_  
_a part off this magic that surrounds me._  
_Come to me forces of Avalon_  
_and change my form so I do belong_  
_with my friends here to see_  
_the real and true me..."_

With the last word spoken, the mists cleared and Elisa Maza lowered to the ground in her original form to a stunned silence. Slightly unnerved, Elisa smiled slightly, nervously, before her full lips pulled down in a slight frown as she said, "What? No applause?" Then, before she could be recaptured in yet another round of questions, Elisa quickly shrugged her dainty shoulders as she pointed to herself quickly. Green mist appeared around her form, making her disappear and when she emerged from the mist not a second later, she was once more a gargoyle. 

Jumping lightly to stand next to Goliath on the ledge, she grabbed his hand and jumped into the night sky, dragging the large gargoyle behind her. And then, soaring high above the twinkling lights of Manhattan, Elisa finally felt all of her tension drain from her body as she released her love's hand and laughed into the dark night sky. For the first time since before their trip to Agrabah, Elisa finally felt free. Free from responsibilities and questions about what had happened to her. Just free. 

Soaring and tumbling in the sky, Elisa lost herself to the dark night as she did move after difficult move, laughing at the feeling of soaring high above her city. But then, when Goliath finally caught up, he had many questions for his love. 

"Elisa?" 

"Hmm," she said dreamily, reaching her hand out to him. 

"Did you realize that back at the castle, all you did was point at yourself and change? You didn't even cast a spell or speak an incantation." 

"I didn't?" Elisa asked, puzzled herself as she realized the truth to his words. "I guess that saying it aloud isn't needed anymore," she shrugged, pushing his concern aside as she smiled at his stiff frown.

"But not even Oberon's children can do magics that difficult without a spell or rhyme," Goliath frowned, his worry palpable. 

"Owen doesn't have to say anything to change into Puck or vice versa," Elisa quickly pointed out, not worried in the slightest. 

"True," Goliath conceded, "but what about you now?" he asked, waving his free arm at her bright smile and relaxed posture. "You could barely fly at all last time you were changed.. you got vertigo! But a couple of minutes ago you were flying as though you have had years of practice-" 

"I don't know," Elisa cut in with a long sigh, her mind beginning to fill with her own questions. Why wasn't she seeing any of these things that seemed to worry Goliath so much? Probably, if she was really honest with herself, because she didn't want to. "I guess that when I changed my form, all of the flying skills went with it... but let's not worry about this anymore," she quickly stressed, her smile pleading with him as she squeezed his hand gently, reaching her free hand over to gently brush against his smooth cheek. "Let's just enjoy ourselves and finish the patrol." 

Sighing, Goliath grudgingly nodded his agreement, putting all questions from his mind as he became determined to make the most of the night and patrol. For his Elisa, he would do anything. 

City of Manhattan - 9:00pm

As night rolled around, after her transformation was complete, Demona strung the impressive looking gun over her blue shoulder. Smiling evilly, she made sure the poisoned dart was securely latched into place before jumping off the balcony that bordered her bedroom. Soaring into the dark night sky, it took only a matter of minutes before she reached her secluded position, confident in the fact that soon Goliath would come gliding past, the human cradled in his arms.

Luckily, she was right, for in a matter of minutes, she saw two winged forms flying in her direction. _Two winged forms?_ she frowned thoughtfully, realizing that this could hamper her plans for the evening somewhat if another of the clan had decided to join Goliath for the night. Shifting forward as the drew closer, able to make out more details, Demona saw that Goliath's mighty form was unmistakable, but her frown deepened further when she noticed that the Detective was not being held in his arms. Also, the other gargoyle was obviously a female. 

_Angela?_ she thought, her frown deepening. Even if the human had been along this night the plan still wouldn't work as she couldn't do this before her daughter -- couldn't risk harming her. _But that's not Angela!_ she realized quickly. The form was different: a little slimmer here, taller there, the hair the right color but not in the usual braid. Then as the gargoyles flew by, she noticed that the stranger was tan. 

_That cinches it..._ she thought, her eyes widening as her grip tightened on the gun,_ a new gargoyle here in Manhattan with the others._ Curious, she quickly began to tail the pair, all the while wondering if the new gargoyle had joined Goliath's clan. Her love was most likely patrolling with her, to show her the city and to judge her abilities. Smiling, Demona felt new hope blossom within her as she realized that this opened up a whole new world of options for her. When her clan was finally together again, as a family, then maybe once again she could feel the joy of having a female companion. She hadn't felt that kinship since Wyvern fell to the human betrayers and maybe, once again she would have a loyal friend and confidante -- if she wasn't too late.

Sighing bitterly, Demona realized that it was entirely possible that the group had already poisoned her mind against her. But then again, perhaps she could reach this new gargess first and maybe even be able to have the gargoyle's help in restoring sense and order to the clan. Grinning broadly, Demona quickly nodded her head in affirmation to her thoughts. The gargess _ would_ help Demona win back her love and the clan's trust. Together they would destroy the human vermin so they could live in peace once more. 

Then, waking from her day dreams, Demona realized that they were now gliding over Central Park. Puzzled, she then watched as Goliath and the new comer landed in a secluded area in the trees. Curious, she descended slowly and landed in a nearby tree, all but invisible to the gargoyles below. 

As she watched, Goliath and the new gargess stepped towards each other and embraced, their wings wrapping around one another. Then, to her growing horror, they kissed passionately. Her eyes burning red, she watched all of her plans for friendship crumble. 

That _bitch_ was stealing Goliath from her -- she had even taken him from the human. Growling softly, Demona got her first real look at the gargess and felt her mood darken as she realized how beautiful the new gargess was. She had long, slanting chocolate brown eyes, full red lips, long black hair, and a slim gargoyle body. Yet, she looked familiar somehow. Her frown deepening, Demona realized that she had seen this gargoyle before, with the strange clothing. That same black midriff with short sleeves and the same shortened blue jeans. Then it clicked. "Elisa Maza!" she whispered fiercely, her eyes lighting up a bright red. 

Smiling, Goliath and Elisa landed in the secluded clearing. "Goliath, this is beautiful! How did you find this place?" Elisa asked, staring at her surroundings in wonder. "In Central Park of all places!" she laughed as she took in the thick trees and brush that surrounded them from all sides. Because the clearing was relatively small, set in a circle, it had a quiet and secluded feeling. Here, the grass was a lush green that stopped at her ankles while above them, the bright moon shined down, making it almost as light as day while the stars twinkled in the dark sky. 

"It's impossible to get to because of the thick trees and brush, but I found it easily one night while patrolling," Goliath explained, his voice a low rumble as he smiled at her expression of wonderment. "Do you like it?" 

"Of course I love it!" Elisa quickly replied, wrapping Goliath in a gentle embrace. 

Sighing, Goliath held his love close, taking in the scent of her long hair. No matter what shape she took, or whether she had magic or not, he would always love her. He loved gliding beside her, like he did with Demona, but carrying her in his arms was something he'd never tire of. Being able to hold her fragile body close to him, Elisa proving her complete trust in him by allowing herself to be carried at such immense heights, relying on nothing but Goliath himself to ensure her safety. He would always protect her. Reaching down, he slowly brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. 

Sighing contentedly, Elisa finally ended the kiss by stepping away. "It's missing something." 

"What?" Goliath asked quickly, afraid that she was talking about the kiss, or even worse, their relationship. But then, suddenly, a glorious sound filled his ears. Staring around in wonder, he realized that the soft string music was coming from all around him. As he turned to face Elisa, he noticed her eyes flare a brief green before she was once more surrounded by mist. "Elisa?" he asked hesitantly as the mists disappeared once more. Smiling, he saw that Elisa's gargoyle form was changed back to her human one with one difference: instead of the usual jeans attire, she was now wearing a long dress. 

The dress itself was blue with midnight blue trimmings and had a tight, low bodice, with long sleeves, and material that widened out into a full skirt that divided into a kind of trail at the knees. The skirt underneath was a white that showed through the cut in an upside down 'v' from the ground to her knees. Over her shoulders and down her back hung a midnight blue cape that was secured around her neck with a pearl clasp. It was something out of Goliath's time, he noted, taking in the occasional ringlets that framed her beautiful face beneath her cascade of raven black hair. Taking all of this in, Goliath breathed "You're beautiful..." 

"Thanks," Elisa said, taking the outfit in for the first time herself. She had pictured the gown in her head, but it was entirely different to see it on herself. 

"So you did all of this?" Goliath rumbled, a twinkle in his eye as he indicated the music and her appearance with a sweep of his hand. 

"Yes. It was romantic and beautiful as it was, I just needed to add the finishing touches." 

"And that you did... may I have this dance milady?" Goliath asked, bowing and holding one arm out, like he had seen Prince Malcolm do all those years ago. 

"I would be honored," Elisa replied, falling into the roll. With a nod, Goliath stepped forward, and holding her hand they proceeded to the middle of the clearing. As the music played on, they began their slow waltz, Elisa following Goliath's lead perfectly. _We must look like that scene from "Beauty and the Beast"_ Elisa thought to herself, smiling at the irony. Except, Goliath was hardly a beast, she realized with a smile as the dance brought both of their minds back to last Halloween, and the first and last time they had danced like this. 

A sudden thud in the far end of the clearing caused them both to quickly snap out of their reverie. Elisa was so startled that her concentration broke and the music stopped playing. Turning quickly, they were confronted with Demona, her eyes glowing a radiant red, a gun of some sort in her hands. 

"How dare you!" Demona spat. 

"Demona!" Goliath growled as he quickly pushed Elisa behind him. "What are you doing here?" he demanded in turn as Elisa slowly edged back out to Goliath's side, pushing aside his restraining arms. 

Ignoring Goliath, Demona's hate filled eyes centered on Elisa. "You _ worthless_ human," she hissed, her eyes narrowing on the detective. "How dare you take gargoyle form! You're not worthy of being a gargoyle! Where is Puck hiding? I'll kill him for this!" 

"Puck's not here, Demona!" Elisa quickly retorted hotly, feeling her wonderful and romantic evening slip away before her very eyes. "Besides," she snapped, "while I may not be worthy enough to be a gargoyle, I hardly think you have room to talk! At least I didn't betray my family and friends!" 

Demona stepped back quickly as if she'd been slapped. "How dare you!" she screamed into the night. "It was the humans!" 

Elisa, fearless now that she was prepared to set loose a volley of magic at anything shot their way, stepped fully away from behind Goliath. "You're such a fool Demona!" Elisa cried angrily, knowing full well that Demona would never hurt Goliath, for it was obvious that she still loved him. Meanwhile, Goliath himself was looking back and forth between herself and Demona, giving her a silent message to get behind him. Frowning, Elisa considered complying but decided in the end that Goliath would be less of a target the farther away from him she got. Besides, this was her chance to finally speak her mind to Demona. "You just can't admit that your betrayal killed the clan... you killed your clan!" Elisa accused, her eyes flashing. 

Demona, her eyes glowing bright red, roared in anger and lifted her gun till it was settled on Elisa. As it went off, everything moved in slow motion. Elisa tensed up, focusing her magic on the projectile heading in her direction. Suddenly she was thrown to the side before she could release her magic and destroy whatever was heading her way, rolling to the hard ground in a heap of blue skirts. Groaning, she slowly lifted her head as she said, "Oh, did anyone catch the number of that bus?" 

"Elisa, are you alright?" Goliath asked, helping her up from where he knocked her out of danger. 

"What did you do that for?" Elisa asked grumpily, brushing herself off and giving Goliath an indignant glare. 

"You were in danger-" 

"I was getting ready to blow it out of the sky!" Elisa cut in angrily as Goliath's onyx eyes widened, obviously remembering their adversary. 

"Demona!" he growled, turning back towards the gargess with expectations of finding nothing less than a shot gun pointed in their direction. Instead, he was mildly surprised to see the gun lying on the ground, like she had dropped it, her mouth hanging open and staring openly at him in what could only be described as horror. 

"Goliath..." she stuttered, tears glinting in her eyes, "I'm sorry." 

Instantly, panic seized Elisa and formed like a vise around her heart as Elisa turned her dark eyes to the massive gargoyle. "Goliath, turn around," she ordered quietly, not liking the slight tremor she heard. 

Still not understanding, Goliath turned around, showing Elisa and Demona his back. And just as Elisa had feared, a lone silver dart was stuck in his thick skin. Grimacing slightly, she tugged the dart from his thick skin before facing Demona once more. "What is it Demona? What's in the dart?" 

But before Demona could answer, a roar of pain erupted from Goliath. Startled, Elisa whipped around to watch as Goliath bent over at the waist, holding his stomach as his face contorted in pain. "Goliath?" Elisa asked quickly, at his side in an instant. As she gripped his shoulders in concern, he collapsed weakly to his knees, a soft moan escaping his tightly clenched lips. "Goliath?" she whispered again, looking into his face as she saw his mouth tighten in agony as his eyes squeezed shut. 

"Elisa..." he gasped, his eyes focusing on her beautiful face before him. "I.. love you." he gasped before his his eyes rolled back in his head as he fell the rest of the way to the ground, unconscious before her. 

"Goliath!" Elisa screamed desperately, falling to her knees beside her love, her large skirts flaring around her. In all her time that she'd known Goliath and the gargoyles, he had always been unstoppable in her mind. "No!" she screamed in anguish, laying her head upon his chest as hot tears burned her eyes. They had finally found love in one another, been through so much together from Dracon, Xanatos, Sevarious, Demona, to fae and even to the King and Queen of the third race. They couldn't possibly lose each other now! She didn't know if she could live without him. _ Pull yourself together Maza!_ she thought angrily to herself as she straightened her shoulders, slowly reaching out a shaking hand and pressing her fingers against his skin. Gasping, she was relieved to see that he was only unconscious and not dead as she had feared. Climbing to her feet, her heavy skirts rustling around her ankles, she faced Demona once more. "What have you done to Goliath?" 

"No..." Demona breathed slowly, still in shock, her eyes remaining fixed on Goliath's unmoving form. 

"Demona," Elisa yelled at the evil thing before her, "pull yourself together!" Instantly, the gargess's angry eyes focused on the detective. "Now, what was in the dart?" Elisa asked slowly, using the tone she usually reserved for victims in shock. 

"It wasn't supposed to be him!" Demona whispered, tears burning at her eyes. "I made the dart from toxins and pure magic, it was meant for you! Within a couple of hours he'll slip into a coma and he'll be dead before the sun rises..." 

At this statement, Elisa's hands clenched into fists as she quickly fought down her anger, knowing that it would only make matters worse. "The antidote, Demona," she whispered, her voice as cold as ice, "Where's the antidote to the virus?" 

From across the open space, Demona's sneer was evident. "There is no antidote, _human_! Why would I create something to save your pitiful life? I wanted to kill you!" 

"Because it's not my life that needs saving!" Elisa retorted angrily as Demona's words finally began to sink in. "No antidote?" she whispered, tears filling her eyes once more as she looked down at Goliath's body, watching his labored breathing. 

"Yes," Demona whispered in return, her expression turning hollow as her eyes filled with guilt, "and it's all... your fault!" she hissed, a look of anger returning as her eyes glowed brightly. 

"What?!" Elisa exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock as the gargess hissed at her. "After all this time you still insist on shifting the blame to others," she finally realized out loud, the closest thing to pity should could feel for her enemy causing her to shake her head in pity. 

"I lost him because of humans a thousand years ago," Demona continued, as if Elisa hadn't spoken. "Now I must again, because of another human. Why must your race always tear my love from my hands?" Demona yelled before she screeched her war cry. 

Wincing at the horrible noise, Elisa quickly shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now," she muttered, ignoring her enemy's charge as she closed her eyes and began to chant:

_"Because of her my love will die,_  
_And so to this I will not lie,_  
_I want her dead and out of sight,_  
_But knowing this is wrong I will not fight,_  
_Instead I send her far away._  
_Send Demona to Norway."_

With the final word of the spell spoken, Elisa opened her eyes and faced Demona, who had stopped her charge when Elisa had begun to glow a slight green. While Demona's eyes were glowing red, Elisa's eyes were glowing green. Without saying anything further, Elisa raised her hand and pointed at Demona. All of the green surrounding her began to gather in her finger before crossing the space between them and enveloping Demona. Then, as the light grew in intensity, Demona began to yell curses and promises of revenge before she disappeared in a green flash. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you'll get your revenge..." Elisa muttered as she faced her love once more. One look at him caused a sigh to escape her lips. Quietly she knelt by his side and began to run her fingers through his rich black hair, pushing it back from his forehead. He looked so peaceful right then. All of the lines of worry and stress caused by being leader of his clan in this new time and place had smoothed out. Sighing, she looked around, the tears sliding down her face. The clearing was as quiet and peaceful as before, the moon shining down upon them. Reaching up, she wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't even remember the last time she had cried. Scooting closer, she lay her head upon his chest, the tears coming down harder than ever. For the first time in her life, Elisa had no idea what to do. She loved Goliath with all of her heart, more than life itself, and now he was leaving her. 

Suddenly, Elisa felt him shift below her. Lifting her head, she saw his eyes open and focus on her, causing a weak smile to life her lips. "Hey Big Guy," she whispered softly, gently brushing the tears from her eyes. "How ya feelin'?" 

"Like something is eating me up from the inside out," Goliath grimaced, his eyes slipping shut for the briefest of moments before focusing on the angel that graced his vision once more. "Where is Demona?" 

"In Norway.... don't ask," she said at his confused expression. 

Sighing, Goliath did as asked and allowed his question to flow away on the waves of pain that ripped through his mighty frame. In the frame of things, asking about Demona seemed so unimportant anyway -- at least in comparison to Elisa. "Why are you crying?" he asked, reaching up to brush a tear away. 

"I... was just worried," Elisa said, trying to smile and failing miserably. 

Instantly, Goliath understood without even having to listen. Elisa's eyes said it all. "What did Demona say about the contents of the dart?" he rumbled slowly, pushing his pain aside. At his question, he watched Elisa's eyes begin to water once more as her expression turned sour. As she paused, obviously searching for the words to say, Goliath sighed once more. "Elisa, we've been through too much together to begin lying now," he whispered, grimacing as another wave of pain rumbled through his body. 

"It's a.. a mix between toxins and magic," Elisa said quietly, another tear escaping. 

"No cure, huh?" Goliath asked quietly, summing of everything that he saw in her lost expression. 

Biting her lip against the sob that was building within her chest, Elisa shook her head quickly. 

"Ah..." Goliath sighed, his eyes slipping shut, and then grimaced as another wave of pain washed over him. "Then you.. you must tell the clan what happened..." Goliath whispered, giving in to destiny as his eyes focused once more on his love's stricken face. "Tell Brooklyn... tell him that he will lead them well..." 

"No!" Elisa sobbed, shaking her head as her black hair whipped about in a frenzy of emotion. _Nothing is ever fair_, she thought to herself. 

"Yes, Elisa... take care of them..." 

"No, you're going to be just fine," Elisa promised, lying to them both. 

"No I am not, Elisa..." Goliath countered, a small smile lifting his lips, "you and I both know that. Tell Angela that I am sorry... sorry that I will not be there for her, and that I love her..." 

"You can tell her!" Elisa pleaded, her tears coming quicker. 

Shaking his head sadly, Goliath's eyes flickered once more as he strained to memorize every feature of her beautiful face. "I can't... stay..." he gasped, knowing this his fight was useless as another wave of agony wracked his body. "Good-bye my love...." 

"No, you can't leave me!" Elisa pleaded, "I need you... I _**love you!**_" she insisted, her voice breaking. 

"I'm sorry.. I.. love you.. Elisa," Goliath said as his breathing slowed once more and he fell unconscious. 

"No, no, no, _ NO!_" Elisa sobbed, burying her head against his massive chest. "It can't end this way," she whispered to herself furiously, denying the very existence of the laws of Nature. 

Then her magical insight came to the surface of her mind as she stopped her crying and merely blinked for a second, barely able to believe what her mind was telling her. "It _won't_ end this way," she suddenly vowed as she leaned forward, gently brushing her lips against his for one final kiss. "I hope you can forgive me for this Big Guy," she whispered in his ear. Lying her small hands upon his chest, she prepared to cast the spell for her second, and probably her last time.

"_Forces of magic that I call upon,_  
_To undo this horrible and mighty wrong._  
_This person before me should not be in pain,_  
_So now I take it and thus do contain."_

As she finished saying the incantation, green light flowed once more from her hands until it surrounded every inch of Goliath's body. Then, a couple of seconds later, the green mist flowed back into Elisa's body. Gasping, she quickly withdrew her hands from his body as though burned. As Elisa slowly stumbled to her feet, Goliath's eyes began to flutter open. But before she could say anything, an overwhelming pain ripped through her stomach. Bending over, holding her stomach tightly, at first all she could do was gasp as the pain came in waves, intensifying with each wave. "I.. love you!" Elisa gasped to her love before the greatest pain she had ever felt in her life hit. As it tore at her tender belly, an agonized scream erupted from her mouth. Then the world went dark as she collapsed to the ground, her dark skirts billowing around her. 

Goliath's slow awakening was rushed when he heard a heart-wrenching scream. Instantly, everything came rushing back to him as he quickly sat up, surprised to realize that he was no longer in pain -- exhausted, yes, but not hurt. Confused, Goliath's eyes wandered the clearing until they settled on a still form lying on the ground slightly behind him. Getting up quickly, he rushed over to find his worst fears confirmed: there, lying on the ground was Elisa, her long skirts spread out around her. 

"Elisa?" he whispered, his voice a mixture of confusion and concern as he crouched beside her, shaking her gently. To his insistent prodding, Elisa stirred slightly, a grimace of pain lighting up her face before she lay still once more. Breathing a sigh of relief, Goliath puzzled out what the hell had happened. The last thing he remembered was being in the worst pain in his life, on death's bed with no hope for recovery with a perfectly healthy Elisa next to him. _What the hell happened?_ Now Elisa was lying on the ground in pain while he was healthy. Then, he remembered what Elisa did for Aladdin. 

"Oh no," Goliath whispered, his eyes falling once more to his love's face. "Oh _no_," Goliath half sobbed, half whispered as the tears dripped down his face unchecked, thinking of the life that now lay before him -- a life once more without love. Why did fate insist on ripping his love from him? As he wiped away his tears he began to speak softly to her, not knowing if she could hear him. "Thank you for your gift, Elisa. You gave me the gift of life... a gift that cost you too much, much more than I was willing to give, one that I do not want," Goliath said softly, a single tear escaping down his cheek. 

What to do now? He could stay by Elisa's side here in the peaceful clearing. At least then she could die in peace, in the midst of beauty. Or, he could take her back to the castle. Demona had told Elisa that there was no cure, but there was always a chance that Xanatos had some sort of new medical treatment up his sleeve. But then again, his recovery had left him exhausted... could he even make it back to the castle? But at least the clan would get their goodbyes. Peace or the turmoil of the castle? Looking down into Elisa's face, he realized that there never was a choice between courses of action. Some chance was better than no chance at all. 

Leaning forward, Goliath gently lifted Elisa into his arms. He was carrying her like he always did, but only now her arms were hanging limp at her sides. Closing his eyes to draw strength from within, Goliath held her firmly. Sighing, he ran quickly across the clearing and up a short hill, launching himself into the night sky. Luck was with him as he quickly caught a thermal updraft. Soaring higher and higher, Goliath turned towards the castle and began his long flight home. 

Castle Wyvern - 11:30pm 

Worried, Angela paced the parapets anxiously. _Where is Father and Elisa?_ she thought angrily to herself. A sudden scrape from behind her caused her to turn quickly, her father's name on her lips and sliding out before she could stop her anxious questioning.

"No, Angela, it's just me," Brooklyn said, a little hurt at her fallen look of hope. 

"Oh, Brooklyn. I'm sorry, I had hoped it was Father," Angela said sadly, turning back towards the night sky. 

"So I noticed," Brooklyn added lightly, trying to brush away his bruised feelings. 

But, like always, Angela noticed as she turned quickly to her friend and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sorry Brooklyn... I did not mean offense, but I'm worried about Father and Elisa." 

"Why?" Brooklyn asked, a confused look on his face. "Goliath can take care of himself and Elisa's just fine." 

"I know, but I have a feeling that something's very wrong." 

"Oookayyy," Brooklyn said, drawing out the word as he absently tapped his beak. "Well, why don't we go wait for them inside? They may be awhile," he said, winking slyly at her as he thought once more of the dreamy look on Goliath's face when he saw Elisa as a gargoyle standing once more before him. 

Completely missing the joke, Angela turned away and began scanning the sky once more, searching desperately for a sign of her father. "No thanks, I think I'll wait out here for them." 

Shrugging, Brooklyn started to turn to leave when an idea occurred to him. "Hey Angela, I'll be right back!" he yelled as he dashed into the castle, Angela barely noticing his departure. A couple of minutes later he returned with two infrared binoculars in hand. Sliding up to her, he handed one over as Angela looked down at the offer in surprise. 

"Now we can both watch for them... and actually be able to see them if they come," Brooklyn explained with a crooked grin. 

Smiling her thanks, Angela began searching the sky once more, Brooklyn at her side. About ten minutes later Brooklyn interrupted the silence. "There they are," he said, pointing in the direction of Central Park. "See Angela, you were worrying for nothing." 

Looking in the direction Brooklyn pointed, Angela focused in with her binoculars. They were still a long ways off, just a dot without the aid of the infrared binoculars. Still, she could barely make out Goliath, Elisa in his arms. "Something is wrong," Angela said firmly, shaking her head. 

"What are you talking about?" Brooklyn asked quickly, refinding the couple in the dark night sky once more with his binoculars. "They're fine, see?" he said, pointing in Goliath's direction once more. 

"But why isn't Elisa flying back?" Angela asked, trying to explain her feeling of dread to Brooklyn as well as herself. 

Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn said, "She probably changed back into a human 'cause she got tired." 

"No," Angela quickly denied, thoughtfully chewing her lip. Shaking her head, she turned back towards the direction of her father, bringing the binoculars to her eyes. She quickly noticed that she could make out the outlines more, but the details were still unclear. Still, what she saw was enough to make her stomach tighten involuntarily. "Now look... what do you see?" 

Sighing, Brooklyn put the binoculars to his eyes once more, scanning the sky till he found the approaching figures. "I see Goliath carrying Elisa, she's human... but wearing a dress?" Brooklyn broke off, rubbing his eyes briefly as though he had seen wrong. "Now that _is_ weird," he admitted with a slight grin, "but still, that's no reason-" 

"That's not it," Angela interrupted impatiently, her eyes straining against the thin glass, her dread building. "Father's flying strangely and Elisa always hangs on around Father's neck," Angela pointed out. "Now her arms are hanging down by her side-" 

"Maybe she got tired of holding on," Brooklyn reassured, but despite his words, Angela's concern was catching. Now he was getting slightly worried. 

Sighing in frustration at not being able to convince Brooklyn, she put the binoculars to her eyes and looked once more. Now they were close enough to make out more details. "Brooklyn?" she quickly asked, tugging at the gargoyle beside her, "Elisa's eyes are closed and she's leaning against Father... she's not moving!" 

"What?" Brooklyn asked, jerking around to look quickly. 

"Something's wrong! Hurry, let's help Father!" she quickly cried, throwing the device aside. Not waiting for a response, Angela dove off the side of the building and soared towards her father, Brooklyn in hot pursuit. "Father!" Angela yelled as she drew near. Now the look of exhausted urgency was evident on his face, along with the stillness of Elisa. 

"Goliath," Brooklyn said, pulling alongside, "what happened? What's wrong with Elisa?" 

"Demona infected her with something.. some magical virus," Goliath panted, not bothering to explain right then that originally it was he that had been infected. There just wasn't any time. "Right now we have to get Elisa to the castle infirmary." 

Without hesitation, Brooklyn quickly said, "Here, give Elisa to me!" 

"Why?" Goliath asked, eyes blazing white as he tightened his hold around her thin form. 

"Father! You're tired and Brooklyn will be able to get her there faster," Angela said in Brooklyn's defense. 

Goliath hesitated a moment longer, looking down at his love. Sighing, he passed her carefully over to Brooklyn mid-flight, causing the young second-in-command to frown thoughtfully. He'd never carried anyone like this before, besides Lexington. He had expected Elisa to be a heavy burden, but to his astonishment, she was remarkably light. What worried him even more was that up close, he saw that she was pale and that her unmoving body felt lifeless. Swallowing silently, Brooklyn quickly shook his head. She had to be alive, otherwise Goliath wouldn't bother with the infirmary. Not wasting another second, Brooklyn soared quickly to the castle, flapping his wings here or there to gain speed. In no time, Goliath and Angela were left in his wake. 

As he landed upon the courtyard of the castle, he ran towards the doors leading to the Great Hall. Before he could adjust his grip on Elisa to open the door, they were pushed open. Stepping back in surprise, avoiding the massive door in the process, Brooklyn looked up quickly. There standing before him was none other than the lord of the castle. "Xanatos?" Brooklyn asked in amazement. 

"Is the detective in need of medical assistance?" the man asked quickly, cutting right to the chase as he eyed her still form, seeing no blood. 

"Well... uh, yeah," Brooklyn stuttered. 

"Then follow me. We'll take her to the infirmary at once," Xanatos said quickly as he turned on his heel and walked briskly towards the elevator set in the far wall. 

Hurrying to catch up, Brooklyn muttered, "How did you know?" 

"Security noticed the rush on their screens and notified me. I came just in time to notice the switch of passenger... you sound suspicious. You don't trust me yet?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow, not slowing his pace. 

As the elevator doors closed behind them and they were whisked down, Brooklyn pondered the billionaire's words. "It takes time to win a gargoyle's trust back after you've lost it." 

"Well, all I can do is keep trying to prove myself," Xanatos sighed as the elevators doors opened. Stepping quickly, he led Brooklyn into the infirmary. This was no normal infirmary though. Everywhere Brooklyn looked, he saw high tech machinery and strange looking gadgets. At Brooklyn's astonished stare, Xanatos smiled his cocky smile and said, "We have state of the art equipment here. It's even better than most public hospitals." 

"What is the emergency?" Owen asked, stepping in behind them. As his eyes fell upon the still form of Elisa in Brooklyn's arms, he merely said, "I see, follow me." 

Not knowing what was going on, Brooklyn dutifully followed Owen and lay Elisa down upon the indicated table. 

"What is wrong with her?" Owen asked as he began to methodically check her stats. 

"Goliath said something about a magical virus that Demona infected her with," Brooklyn explained quickly, his eyes flaring at the mention of the gargess.

"A magical virus?" Owen asked skeptically, arching one pencil-thin eyebrow. "Well, what kind?" 

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me," Brooklyn said, watching everything Owen was doing to Elisa carefully. 

"You don't know?" Owen asked, looking up in the middle of inserting an IV. 

"No, I don't. Goliath flew her in and I rushed her down. He doesn't look too great either." 

"I see," Owen quietly replied, getting back to work. Grabbing a needle, he found a vein and began withdrawing blood, much to Brooklyn's displeasure. Then, Owen turned and grabbed another needle, this one filled with a clear liquid. Squirting it into the air distractedly, he reached towards Elisa. 

Growling, his eyes glowing bright, Brooklyn grabbed Owen's arm, preventing him from inserting the needle. 

"I have to give her this to bring down her fever. She has a temperature of one hundred and five degrees," Owen explained calmly. At Brooklyn's blank stare, Owen hastily said, "Running a temperature means that her body is warming up and getting hotter every second. If her body gets too warm, she'll die. This will cool her down." 

Still, Brooklyn wouldn't relent. 

"Touch her face," Owen instructed. 

Slowly Brooklyn placed his free hand against her face. "It's hot!" he exclaimed, obviously astonished by the observation. 

"So allow me to cool her down." 

Sighing, Brooklyn nodded his consent and withdrew his clawed hand from Owen's arm. As the shot was administered, Owen glanced at Xanatos and said, "Will you escort Brooklyn outside and ensure that the rest of the gargoyles wait in the waiting room outside?" 

Nodding, Xanatos escorted Brooklyn from the room. "Don't worry, Owen will inform us as to his findings." 

1:05am 

About twenty minutes later, Owen emerged from the infirmary. He was mildly surprised at the sight that greeted him. The entire gargoyle clan in addition to Matt Bluestone were sitting on a group of chairs in the corner of the room to one side of the door. In the grouping of chairs directly in front of the door, by the hallway door sat Peter and Diane Maza and Talon and Maggie. Xanatos and Fox sat by themselves in the far corner of the room. All three groups were eyeing one another wearily. "Well, I see that family and friends have been notified," Owen said dryly. 

At his voice, everyone scrambled to their feet and rushed him, the questions pouring forth. "Elisa, is she alright?... Is Elisa okay?... What's wrong with my daughter?... What'd you do to Elisa?... Is th' lass alright?... How's the Detective?" Instead of attempting to answer the barrage of questions, Owen merely stood in silence. 

Finally Goliath caught on and yelled, "Be quiet and let him speak!" At his low, rumbling voice, questions immediately ceased. 

"Thank you, Goliath," Owen said quietly, no emotion in his voice. Then, clearing his throat, he began. "As Brooklyn had indicated, Miss Maza has been infected by some sort of unknown virus. After intensive tests and lab work, I've found no possible treatments or cure. The virus that is plaguing her is new, leaving no known antidotes. All medication is proving useless in all attempts at slowing the disease." 

At his unemotional statement, there were many gasps, sobs, and cries of outrage. "What is her current status?" Xanatos asked. 

"Her condition is rapidly deteriorating. At the present rate, she will not last till morning." 

"Oh my poor baby!" Diane Maza sobbed into her husband's chest. 

Turning a steely glare to the assembled group, Peter Maza said, "Who did this to my daughter? What happened to her? Who was with her when it happened?" he demanded, his voice shaking in outrage. 

"I was with her when it happened," Goliath said slowly, turning to face Elisa's father. 

"You!" Peter roared. "I knew that you were trouble! Look what you did to my daughter!" he yelled, starting to charge the giant lavender gargoyle, only Talon restraining him. 

"Dad, let him explain!" Talon said, trying to calm his father down. "Elisa cares about the gargoyles, and Goliath would never consciously hurt her!" 

Sagging against his son, Peter nodded wearily. "You're right. I'm sorry Goliath, forgive me for my outburst. But what did happen tonight?" 

Sighing, Goliath began his tale. "Elisa and I were attacked by Demona..." 

"Mother did this?" Angela gasped in horror. 

"Who's Demona?" Peter asked angrily, looking back and forth between Goliath and Angela. 

"She's a rogue member of our clan and my former mate," Goliath explained bitterly, ignoring Angela's question for the moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. "She betrayed our clan, resulting in its destruction. She's been trying to kill us, Elisa, and the entire human population for the past two years." 

"Why does she want to hurt my baby?" Diane asked, tears pooling in her eyes. 

"Well..." Goliath drew out, trying to decide whether or not it was his place to tell Elisa's parents about their new relationship. But just one look at Peter's furious expression was all it took for Goliath to realize that it wasn't his place to tell, nor the time. "She hates humans and Elisa was our first human friend. In the end, we chose her over Demona."

At his explanation, he watched as Diane's dark hands slowly tightened on her husband's sleeve before nodding for him to continue. 

"She surprised Elisa and I and shot a poisoned dart at Elisa, but I was able to get Elisa out of the way in time. I was hit in her place," Goliath explained slowly, grimacing at the memory of the pain. 

"What?" Angela quickly asked in confusion. "But I don't-" she trailed off as Goliath held up his hand, staying her questions. 

"Almost immediately," he continued, "the effects of the dart took effect and when I regained consciousness, Demona was gone and Elisa told me that the dart was a mix of toxins and magic. I wasn't going to live till morning. I blacked out again, but I awoke by Elisa's scream."

"What happened?" Talon asked slowly, his dark eyes probing Goliath's. It was no secret that the two had always held their differences, Elisa being the main reason why they tolerated each other. 

"Elisa had used her magic to transfer the pain and the contents of the drug from my body to hers. So now I'm healed and she's dying," Goliath said, a singletear trickling down his cheek. 

"Magic?" Diane, Peter, Talon, and Maggie asked in union, all wondering if Goliath had lost his mind. 

"Well..." Goliath started. 

"Goliath," Brooklyn quickly interrupted, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "was it the same thing she did with Aladdin?" 

"I'd imagine," Goliath said. 

Matt shared a knowing look with Brooklyn before nodding his head excitedly. "Then she can give away whatever she's containing to someone else, like she did with Mozenrath!" 

"You're right!" Goliath exclaimed, hope lighting up his eyes as he simultaneously kicked himself for not realizing the simple solution sooner. 

"Wait, wait!" Peter ordered. "Magic, Aladdin, Mozenrath... will someone explain to me what you people are talking about?" 

"We'll explain later, right now we have to see Elisa!" Matt said, the group following his cue and moving as one towards the Infirmary door. 

"Wait," Owen commanded, holding his hand up as he tried to maintain order. "I'll only allow four in at a time. "Goliath- you, Diane, Peter, and Talon may go first." 

Nodding in agreement, the four quickly headed for the door. Stepping aside, Owen allowed admittance. Entering the four quietly moved to Elisa's bed side. Leaning over the bed, Diane kissed her daughter on the forehead. Straightening, she brushed the hair from Elisa's eyes. She took in the sight before her. Elisa was lying on the bed, her dark blue gown a stark comparison to the traditional white hospital sheets. _Dark blue gown?_ Her normally dark face was an obvious shade or two lighter. What made her condition realistic was the I.V. hooked to her arm. Feeling her husband's arm around her, she turned and gave him a sad smile. On the other side of the bed was Talon and Goliath. She was surprised once more to see tears in the large gargoyle's eyes. Frowning slightly, she watched as he gently took Elisa's hand in his. _What's going on between these two?_ she asked herself, not for the first time. 

"Elisa," Goliath whispered quietly, his voice catching in his throat. 

Stirring, Elisa's eyes slowly opened and focused on the surrounding faces. Smiling weakly, she said, "Hi guys." 

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Diane asked gently. 

"As good as can be expected, Mom," Elisa said, her voice catching in the middle of her sentence as a wave of pain made her face scrunch up. 

"I'm sorry Elisa," Goliath said quietly, cutting in on Diane. 

Turning, Elisa looked at her love and noticed the tears. "Hey, it's alright Goliath!" she said softly. "In no way is this your fault, and I want to make it clear right now to all of you," she said, turning to make everyone included. "This was my decision and my decision only. I don't regret my choice in the slightest." 

"But Elisa," Goliath cut in, "can you give this to someone else like you did with Mozenrath?" 

"No!" Elisa said vehemently, rising up to her elbows. 

"You can not or you will not?" Goliath growled, straightening to his full height as he glared down at the stubborn woman who lay before him. 

"I won't give this to anyone else!" Elisa said firmly, anger and resolve flashing in her eyes. 

"But why Elisa?" her mother pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she forced her daughter to lay back down on the starch sheets. "Why won't you do it if it'll make you better?" 

"Yeah, I'll get better, but whoever I give it to will die!" Elisa said angrily. "Would you have me live with that knowledge for the rest of my life?" 

"Well, I am willing to do this!" Goliath said firmly. "Give it back to me!" 

"No," Elisa said, shaking her head firmly. "I won't have you die on me Goliath, or anyone else. I wouldn't even give this to my worst enemy. Which means that you can tell Xanatos he's safe," she said with a small smile. 

"There may be another way..." Owen interrupted. 

"What?" Goliath asked quickly, hope edging his voice once more. 

"Well, if the concoction is indeed magic, then with Puck's instructions, then Elisa may be able to reverse the magic." 

"Are you sure Owen?" Elisa asked uncertainly. 

"No, but it's your only chance." 

"Well, then just tell me what to do." 

"I'm afraid that it's not that easy. First you need to give it to someone else. You can not be a part of the magic to be rid of it. Also, I'll need you at your full power," Owen said. 

"Uh uh, no way! I told you I'm not giving this to anyone else!" 

"Elisa, it's a chance at survival! You must give it to me!" Goliath pleaded. 

"But what good would that do? There will still be no cure for the toxins that are remaining!" 

"Yes, but without the magic pushing it, the holder of the toxin will survive to sunrise..." Owen said. 

"And if it's a gargoyle then its stone sleep will rejuvenate it and they'll be healed by nightfall," Talon finished, catching on to Owen's way of thinking. 

"Precisely." 

"I don't know about this, Goliath," Elisa said, turning to face her love. 

"We must try!"

Sighing, Elisa closed her eyes briefly and fought back her wave of panic. She didn't want to die -- she never wanted to die, truth be told. The very thought of death scared her like no other and she had so much to live for. Then again, she could never live knowing that she was only doing so because someone else had died to give her that gift. It just wasn't in her.. especially if it was Goliath. But without trying, it meant death for sure. Sighing, she slowly opened her eyes and focused on her loved ones. "Fine," she relented slowly, "but only on one condition."

"Anything," Goliath breathed in relief. 

"If it doesn't work, I'm taking it back." 

"But-" 

"No Goliath!" Elisa vehemently interrupted. "I won't have you dying on me... I don't know if I could live without you..." At this statement, many eyebrows were raised and looks were passed between her parents. 

At this, Owen quickly raised his thin eyebrow once more before clearing his throat noisily. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if we're going to do this, we should begin immediately." 

"You're right," Elisa thankfully interrupted, catching the manservant's pointed nods at her parents' surprised expressions. "Goliath, you should lie down for this," Elisa added off-hand. 

"Why?" Goliath quickly asked, puzzled by her comment. 

"Because you won't be able to stand with what I'm giving to you," she explained with a pained grimace as Goliath followed her instructions and lay on a nearby bed. "Derrick, would you carry me over? It'll be easier if I'm touching him, and I can't get there on my own." 

At her admission of helplessness, her family blinked back tears. Whatever pain she was feeling and the condition she was in must be horrible. Elisa **never** showed weakness. Leaning down, Talon gathered Elisa in his arms and carried her to Goliath's bedside. Elisa was having trouble holding her head up as she sagged against her brother's furry chest. "Goliath, are you sure you want to go through with this?" 

"Of course," Goliath responded with no hesitation. 

"It's going to hurt a lot..." Elisa warned. 

"I know Elisa, but it is a chance I am willing to take," Goliath vowed, the love in his eyes evident to all gathered. 

"Okay," Elisa sighed, lifting her hand with great effort and gently letting it settle on Goliath's chest.

_"The pain and hurt I do contain,_  
_I now pass on for another to maintain."_

The spell was simple, but the result was devastating for Goliath. Elisa's parents and her brother stared in wide eyed wonder as Elisa's form began to glow a bright green. Then the green mist seeped from Elisa, through her hand to surround Goliath's form. As soon as the mist disappeared, Goliath's hold on the side of the bed tightened, and his face screwed up in agony. This lasted for a couple of seconds and then Goliath, mercifully, fell unconscious. 

Elisa looked at the still form of her love, a tear trailing down her cheek. Sighing, she decided it was time to get to work. To her relief, she realized that she was at full power once more. "You can set me down, Derrick," Elisa said, her voice strong once more. 

"What?" Derrick stuttered, looking at his sister as he held her in his strong arms. 

"Derrick, I'm fine now. You can put me down." 

Nodding dumbly, he slowly lowered her to her feet. He even went as far as to keep a firm grip on her arm until he was sure she'd be stable. 

Standing firmly on her own two feet, Elisa turned to face her love once more, taking his hand in hers. "Don't worry Big Guy, we'll fix this bug, and in no time we'll be together again." Goliath didn't move at her soft words. His hand was limp in hers and his eyes closed. Sighing, she turned to face Owen. "Will you get Puck please? It's time for Alexander's lesson." 

"Indeed," Owen said. Within a blink of an eye, Owen twirled about and was transformed into Puck. "Ta da!" he yelled with a flourish. He then did a comical bow at the three amazed humans, his little tunic and white hair flying at the commotion. "What? No applause?" 

"Puck!" Elisa said, a little impatiently. "Go get Alex so we can be started." 

"Gotcha! Be back in a flash!" he said, and a flash was what it took. The humans in the room covered their eyes quickly, shielding them from the glare. 

As Elisa's vision began to clear, she saw Puck floating in the air in front of her sitting Indian style. Gurgling in his lap was a drooling infant. "Wow! You're quick!" Elisa muttered under her breath. 

Hearing her mumbled words, Puck winked wolfishly and said, "Yeah, that's what all the girls say!"

Rolling her eyes, Elisa had to bite back an angry retort. _He's helping this time_, she had to remind herself as she focused on the infant that the trickster cradled. It was amazing to think so much power was contained in that small little body. "Why can't Alex cast the spell?" she asked vaguely before turning back to Goliath. 

"Because this is way out of his league," Puck explained as he floated opposite of the detective. "Heck," he continued with an embarrassed smirk, "it's even out of my league. I know how to do it, but I don't have the power to back it up."

"And I do?" Elisa asked, her full attention finally captured by the small fae.

"Elisa, you have more power than any of Oberon's children combined!" Puck asked, as though surprised that she wasn't aware of this herself. "I mean, you have more magic in you than either King Oberon or Queen Titania because.. well, we'll leave it at that for now." 

"Puck! You _do_ know why I have my magic!" Elisa accused, her eyes widening in surprise at his words. For the moment, it was as though the rest of the world had disappeared as the mystery opened up before her, tantalizing her as never before. 

"Yep, and boy is it juicy!" Puck laughed, his eyes twinkling. "I know something you don't know, I know something you don't know!" he taunted, an evil glint in his eye. 

Angrily, Elisa began to make wild grabs at him as he soared around the room. Finally she gave up and pointed her hands at his soaring behind. Aiming carefully she muttered, "Fire be a favorite of thine, now strike that little imp in the behind!" At the end of the incantation, a sudden stream of flame shot out of her hands, her eyes glowing green. To her immense satisfaction, it connected squarely with Puck's butt. 

"Ow!" he squealed. "Why'd you do that? I was just playing!" 

Biting back her grin, Elisa forced herself to maintain her indignant scowl. "Tell me the origin of my magic!" she ground out, emphasizing each syllable. 

"I told you already, the King and Queen of Avalon have to tell you!" Puck whined. 

"Elisa?" 

At her Mom's astonished voice, Elisa turned quickly. "Oh, Mom... I forgot you guys were here..." Elisa stuttered, looking at the ground, ashamed at her childish and very un-Elisa like behavior. 

"You're... you're better!" her mom gasped in amazement, watching her daughter's every move. 

"I know Mom, I'm fine." 

"But Elisa, how did you do that?" Derrick asked in wonder.

"Long story," she sighed, wishing she could take back the last few minutes as though they had never happened. She hadn't yet had the courage to tell her family about what had happened those few short weeks ago during her disappearance to Agrabah -- they all just had too much on their plates to be worrying about something like this. Especially when she didn't have any answers to the questions that she knew they would be asking. 

"Elisa," Puck cut in, interrupting her thoughts, "maybe the parentals and sibling should vacate the premises, eh?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he indicated the door to the hallway. 

"We're not leaving!" Peter Maza said firmly. 

"Actually Dad," Elisa cut in slowly, wincing as her father turned his angry eyes her way, "maybe it would be best if you did wait outside." 

"Elisa?" her mother asked, her tone shocked at her daughter's words.

"I need to be able to concentrate, which will be hard to do if you guys are in here," she explained slowly. 

"But..." Peter broke in. 

"Okay Elisa," Derrick spoke up as he began to drag his parents to the door. "We'll be outside if you need us." 

Elisa smiled a thanks to her brother and then returned her gaze to Goliath. Walking to his side, she tenderly brushed some stray locks of hair from his face. "Let's begin Puck." 

"Okey dokey!" Puck replied eagerly. Lowering his head, he spoke quietly to the gurgling baby in his arms. "Okay Alex, I want you to just listen this time around. Don't try to cast this spell!" Looking back at Elisa, he said, "Can you see the magic within him?" 

"See it? No, what do you mean?" 

"Hmm, first you have to see it. Start by..." 

"The magic within him is but a lie, make it apparent to thine eye," Elisa broke in. As the spell was spoken, a green mist covered portions of Goliath's body. "Okay, now I see it," she said. Smiling, she turned to look at Puck... and was amazed to see a miffed look on his face. "What's wrong?" 

"If you want my help, then the least you could do is wait for me to finish telling you how to do it." 

"Sorry," Elisa said sheepishly. She needed the little trickster's help, even if she didn't like or trust him. "It just occurred to me after I asked." 

"You're forgiven. Now, what we have to do is..." 

An hour later -- 2:30am 

Things were not going well, not at all. Sighing, Brooklyn looked quickly from where he was leaning against the closed infirmary door over to the far side of the waiting room. This was not the first time he had looked over there, yet the scene was unchanged. 

Earlier Matt, Broadway, Angela, Lex, and himself had all gathered eagerly at the closed door after Goliath and the Mazas had gone in. They were excited about Matt's idea and wanted to know if it worked, but after twenty minutes without word, they followed Hudson and Maggie's example and took a seat in the empty chairs scattered about. Ten minutes later, the group jumped to their feet as the infirmary door opened. To their surprise, only the Mazas had left before closing the door behind them. 

"Where's Owen?" David Xanatos had asked, arching his eyebrow at the three people, noting the bewildered look on their faces. 

"Where's Father?" Angela had asked just as quickly. 

"Elisa's better, she's healed," Diane Maza had breathed, not really looking at anyone. 

"It worked!" Matt had yelled happily, high-fiving Brooklyn. 

"Can we see th' lass?" Hudson had asked just as quickly, addressing the parents. 

"_WHERE'S FATHER?!?_" Angela then yelled shrilly, instantly causing a still silence to fall over the room as all eyes had turned to the young gargess. 

Sighing, Diane had slowly stepped away from her husband's side, realizing that her happiness was about to come at a severe price. Her agony at her daughter's pain was something that she wouldn't wish on anyone.. let alone this small child. And that's just what she was about to do. "He's... he's sick," Diane had quietly stuttered. 

"What do you mean?" Angela had asked, her eyes glowing red like her mother's. 

"Elisa," Talon began slowly, feeling his mother edge closer against his furry skin, "Elisa gave the sickness to Goliath." 

"She what?" Brooklyn had asked incredulously. 

"No, Elisa you didn't," Broadway moaned. 

But at these words, Angela felt hot tears burn in her eyes. "No... Father," she had whispered, falling to her knees in grief as tears poured down. She loved Elisa like a sister -- she was her best friend. Angela would have mourned Elisa like the rest of the clan, but now her father would die in her place. She needed him! How could this happen? She had just found her father, and now he was being ripped away from her. 

Broadway had quickly run to Angela's side and gathered her into his arms. Which led up to now. Brooklyn stole another quick look in their direction. Things were unchanged: Angela was still in Broadway's embrace, crying against his chest while he tenderly ran his talons through her hair. _It's not fair! It should be me comforting Angela!_

Shaking his head, he mentally slapped himself. This was stupid. Whenever someone chose another over himself, he sat there and felt sorry for himself. Well, no longer. First he turned and looked at Talon and Maggie, wrapped in a tender embrace. Then he looked at Broadway and Angela... and smiled. Someday he'd find the one for him, but right now Goliath was his main concern. Although he was second in command, he wasn't ready for the burdens of leadership yet. It was bad enough when Goliath was gone on the Avalon trip, he definitely didn't want it for keeps! 

Suddenly the door opened behind him, sending him flying on his back. Opening his eyes he found himself lost in a sea of heavy blue material. Clawing his way out, he finally made it to the surface. Turning around he saw his captor: Elisa and her long medieval gown... a very pale and tired Elisa. 

"Elisa!" everyone cried as they swarmed around her. 

Smiling, she embraced each in turn, until she was faced with Angela. 

"How could you Elisa?" the young gargess asked quietly, her face pale and drawn. 

Wincing, Elisa pulled back as though slapped. "Angela, I..." 

"Elisa, how could you be so selfish? How could you take my father away from me?" Angela asked, tears dripping down her face. 

"I'm not!" Elisa quickly protested, gently squeezing the young gargess's shoulders. "Listen, with Puck's help I destroyed the magic that was quickening the toxin. He should survive till morning and then the stone sleep will heal him." 

"But what if he _doesn't_ make it till morning?" Angela pleaded, refusing to back down.

"Then I'll take it back!" Elisa countered firmly. "Angela, I won't let him die!" she assured, meeting the girl's large brown eyes and daring her to disbelieve her. 

Sighing, Angela found that she couldn't. She knew how much Elisa loved her father.. how much she had always loved her father. "Okay Elisa," she sighed, "I trust you." 

Nodding, Elisa turned to her family and said, "Mom, Dad, you guys might as well head home." 

"Don't worry Mom, Maggie and I will stay behind," Talon said, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. 

"They're right Diane. We're no longer needed here. Let's go home," Peter said, leading his wife to the elevator. 

Watching her parents go, Elisa realized just how tired she really was. "Xanatos, do you have a room nearby that I can rest in for awhile? That last spell wore me out," Elisa said while rubbing her eyes. 

"But aren't you going to..." Lexington began uncertainly. 

"Don't worry Lex, I'll be back by sunrise. I just need some time to regain my energy," Elisa replied, squeezing his shoulder gently. Picking up her skirts, she walked to where Xanatos and Fox were standing. "About that room?" 

"Of course, Detective," Xanatos quickly agreed before turning to his wife. "Fox, if you would show the Detective to a nearby chamber?" 

"Of course, David," his wife quickly agreed before appraising her husband with knowing green eyes, "but what will you be doing?" she asked while unhooking her arm from his. 

"I'm going to check on Puck, it's too quiet in there for my tastes." 

Nodding in agreement, Fox sent the Infirmary door a worried look before starting down the hallway. "This way Elisa," she called over her shoulder. "Oh, and by the way... love the dress." 

Private Chamber -- 6:10am 

Elisa sat up suddenly in the bed she had been sleeping in. According to her internal alarm clock, she had about five minutes before sunrise. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up slowly. Looking down, she smiled slightly as she noticed her dress was still in perfect condition. _Man, the Middle Ages had it right with this wrinkle-free material. I guess it's a necessity without having an iron or a drycleaners._

Heading towards the door, she began her short journey towards the infirmary. As she turned another corner, she entered the waiting room that the little hospital opened into. It was deserted. Surprised and slightly alarmed, Elisa quickened her pace. When she reached the door, she turned the knob and was greeted by hysterical voices and a loud beeping sound. Entering the room completely, Elisa quickly surveyed the scene before her. The clan of gargoyles, Matt, Talon, Owen, and the Xanatoses were gathered around Goliath's bed. 

"He's not breathing!" Angela yelled shrilly, staring at her father's still form in disbelief. 

Looking at the clock, Elisa saw that the sun would rise in two minutes... he wouldn't make it. Snapping her fingers, Elisa stepped quickly into the mist that appeared before her and emerged a gargoyle. In place of her dress and traditional jeans outfit, she was now wearing the usual gargoyle garb. In other words, a loin cloth and a halter top much like Demona's. 

Walking quickly, she pushed her friends to the side till she was standing beside Goliath. Everyone gasped at her sudden arrival, and Talon and Maggie especially at her appearance. Goliath still wasn't breathing. Placing her hands on his chest she said, "Forces of magic that I call upon.." 

"Elisa, no!" Talon yelled, knowing what she was about to do. Running forward, he made to push her away from the bedside. But as he tried to touch her, he only encountered a wall of air. Growling in frustration, he realized that it surrounded his sister. 

"To undo this horrible and mighty wrong." 

"Elisa, don't do it!" Matt yelled urgently. 

"This person before me should not be in pain." 

"I was wrong, Father wouldn't want this," Angela pleaded. 

"So now I take it and thus do contain," Elisa finished. The whole exchange had taken place quickly, with Elisa not even pausing in her chant. As everyone watched, a green mist appeared over Goliath's body. Without warning it suddenly shifted till it covered Elisa's hands... and then entered her body. Stepping back, Elisa paled considerably before falling to the floor unconscious. 

Dropping to his knees beside his sister, Talon quickly felt for a pulse. "Man, she's going fast!" he yelled. 

Behind them, Goliath sat up, confused once again for the second time that night. _Now what's going on?_ He knew that sunrise was almost there and that he felt healthy once more. 

"She's stopped breathing!" Talon yelled. 

Looking down quickly, Goliath saw everyone gathered in a circle on the floor. Lying in the middle was Elisa in her gargoyle form once more, this time wearing traditional gargoyle clothing. Bending over further, he saw that Talon was giving Elisa mouth to mouth. Sunrise was now only seconds away. Jumping lightly from the bed, Goliath walked to the edge of the circle and said, "Talon, give her to me!" 

"Father!" Angela cried, torn between delight at seeing her father moving once more and despair at what was happening too quickly to follow. 

When everyone continued to stare in astonishment Goliath grew impatient and pushed his way past his friends until he was by her side. Reaching down, he gathered Elisa in his arms and straightened. It was time. As he looked down at her beautiful face, memorizing every beautiful feature, the sun rose and they turned to stone. 

Sighing, Talon stood up from his crouched position and stared at the stone form of Goliath, Elisa in his arms. "Did she make it?" he asked, not bothering to turn.

"Detective Maza is a strong woman and a fighter," David Xanatos said quietly as he stepped beside the furred mutant, "but I don't know. Only sunset will tell."

"What will you do with them?" Matt asked, gesturing to the circle of stone gargoyles that filled the small infirmary. "I think that they're going to cause quite a stir to your day workers," he pointed out. 

"I'll have all of the gargoyles moved to the parapets atop the castle..." 

"Then we'll be back at sunset," Talon said, finally facing Xanatos. 

Castle Wyvern -- sunset 

Everyone watched in anticipation as the seven stone statues before them cracked. All eyes were focused on the middle statue, which was in fact two. All statues cracked but one... the one being held by the middle statue. As the gargoyles stretched and roared their awakening, all eyes focused on the statue in the middle gargoyle's arms. It remained untouched. 

Goliath broke out of his shell casing and looked expectantly down into his arms. Shocked, he could only gasp as he noticed that Elisa was still a statue. 

"Elisa," Talon whispered from a few feet away, his fists clenching and crackling with electrical energy. 

But Goliath could only gasp as he tried to gather a breath, watching her statue in his arms. Her unmoving stone statue. 

"Partner..." Matt said, lowering his eyes to the ground, hiding his face as the tears started to burn in his eyes. 

Goliath could only stare into the stone eyes of his love as the tears gathered in his eyes, blurring his vision. His love... his stone love. 

"Elisa..." Angela sobbed, burying her face once more in Broadway's arms. 

Goliath stared at his love and tried to breathe. She was gone.. his love was gone. Gone, she was gone, his love was GONE! "_NOOOO!_" Goliath roared into the night, his fury at fate making all else disappear. 

But then, Goliath heard Angela's tears be replaced by a startled gasp. Hoping against all hope, he looked back into his arms. Very dimly, a neon green light started to appear, getting brighter and brighter in intensity. Suddenly, the stone that surrounded Elisa's body began to melt away into thin air, being replaced by her warm skin below. As the stone melted away, her form changed beneath. By the end of the transformation, Goliath held a woman he had never seen before. 

She had the same body shape as Elisa in that she was tall and shapely. But her hair and skin, on the other hand, were completely different. Her skin was as white as ivory and her hair, while the same length and texture as Elisa's, was the fairest blond that Goliath had ever seen. The rest of the features remained pretty much the same. The woman had Elisa's large slanting eyes, small nose, and wide, red full lips. Then, the woman began to waken, her eyes fluttering. As her eyes opened, Goliath saw the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. The clothing was different also. She was wearing a dress that was straight out of the 1800s. She was breathtaking, like a porcelain doll. Still, she was not Elisa, nor as beautiful as her. Then she spoke. 

"Goliath?" she asked weakly. 

It was the same voice... it was Elisa's voice!! And then, the look she gave him was enough to confirm it in his mind. "Elisa?" 

"Oh Goliath, I thought I had lost you!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

"Elisa, is it really you?" Goliath asked, staring at her in wonder. 

"Of course it's me, what do you me-" she began to ask before noticing her hand. As Goliath put her on her feet, Elisa stared at her hand in wonder. It was her hand, but not her hand. Slowly she checked herself over in wonder. The hair, the coloring, her clothing... nothing was missed as she scrutinized herself. "Whoa!" 

"Elisa?" Talon asked. Slowly he advanced on the woman before him. 

"Um, could you guys hold on a sec?" Elisa asked nervously. Thinking quickly, Elisa made a decision. "The form I'm in is not me, why I'm in it really beats me, so change me now to the real me." In a blink of an eye, their Elisa stood before them. 

"Uh Elisa? What just happened?" Matt asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Don't ask me, I just woke up!" Elisa quickly retorted, checking and rechecking herself to make sure that it was really her this time. 

"And you're healed?" Goliath asked quickly, laying a hand on her shoulder. 

At his soft touch, Elisa faced her love. "I'm perfect Goliath, I..." 

"I know.. I love you Elisa." 

"I love you Goliath," Elisa said. Coming together, they kissed softly, the cool wind whipping their hair about in a whirlwind, both completely heedless of the group watching happily. She didn't know what was going on, but deep down she knew that whatever it was, Goliath and her would face it together.. nothing would ever separate them.

**THE END**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	4. Heritage

Heritage

****"Heritage"  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 10/07/07

Revised on: 05/28/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is set a month after "The Gift" and is the third part of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: The story that everyone's been waiting for: the story that explains Elisa's heritage. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

**_Heritage_**

Aerie building -- 10 minutes before sunset 

As Owen flipped through the paper in his hands in the main lobby, he looked up just in time to see Elisa Maza rush into the room from outside. Panting, she re-slung her black backpack over her shoulder and headed for the elevator that would bring her to the Great Hall of Castle Wyvern. "Running a little late today, Miss Maza?" he questioned, arching his eyebrow at her in a typical Owen-like manner. 

Elisa paused briefly in order to send Owen a dirty look before hurrying into the waiting elevator. Some people may wonder at her rush -- after all, she had seen this transformation nearly every night for the last two years. But the people who would say this are also those who've never seen a gargoyle awaken. _No matter how many times I see this, I don't think I'll ever tire of it_, Elisa thought dreamily to herself, thinking of a particular lavender gargoyle. 

All the plans were set in motion. After the little Demona incident last month, Elisa had worked her tail off. Finally all of her hard work was paying off, for tonight was the start of her two week vacation. She had told Captain Chavez that she was going to Arizona to spend some quality time with her family. In truth, the two weeks would be spent in Avalon, finding the answers she'd been longing for. Everything was taken care of, even Cagney was being looked after -- by a very upset Matt. Mainly, he was upset that he wouldn't be able to join his partner on Avalon. But as she had explained to him, she wasn't taking very many people with her -- just Goliath and Angela. In fact, the only reason Angela was going was to see her rookery brothers and sisters again, not to mention Princess Katherine and Guardian Tom. 

As the door finally dinged open, Elisa rushed out of the elevator into the Great Hall. She didn't even bother to stop and greet a startled Fox and David Xanatos as Elisa pushed through the large doors into the courtyard. Sunset was almost upon her. Full out running now, Elisa panted up the many steps till she shared the largest tower with one other: the stone form of Goliath. 

Elisa had only time enough to catch her breath before the show began. Looking up in child-like wonder, Elisa watched as Goliath broke out of his stone sleep. As he roared his awakening, he stretched luxuriously, sending small stone particles in every direction. 

Turning, Goliath faced the human he knew would be there. "Elisa!" he said happily, beaming at his human love. Stepping down from his perch he quickly wrapped her in a warm embrace of wings and arms. 

"Hey Big Guy, ready to leave?" 

"Yes, but... Elisa, your clothes!" Goliath stammered as her clothing finally registered in his befuddled mind. Gone was her traditional Detective's uniform: form fitting dark blue jeans, black shirt, black shoes, and red jacket. In their place were a lighter colored, low-waisted baggy pair blue jeans, a white polo shirt that ended below her naval, where her jeans began, and a pair of brown hiking boots. If she lifted her arms above her head, her smooth brown stomach was sure to show. 

"Yeah, well since I'm officially on vacation now, I figured it was about time to go without the work clothes. You don't like it?" she asked, a slight frown touching her face. 

"Of course, I was just surprised." In all honesty, he would have loved Elisa in anything she wore. She was beautiful, plain and simple. 

"Good," Elisa said. Backing away from her love, she walked towards the opening to the stairs. In her haste she had dropped her backpack. Reaching down, she slung the bag once more over her shoulder. 

"Is that all you are taking?" Goliath questioned, raising an eye ridge in surprise. Even though he and Angela wouldn't need anything, he was under the impression that it was different for human females. 

"Yeah, I always was one to pack light. Besides, if I need anything, a simple spell will be all it takes." 

Nodding his understanding, Goliath quickly gestured to the courtyard below. "Then let us go -- the rest of the clan will be waiting." 

"You're right, let's hit the road." 

"Hit the road?" Goliath asked, the confusion evident on his face. 

"It's an expression, it means 'let's go'" Elisa explained with a small, patient smile. Even after two years in this new world, the large gargoyle could still be taken be surprise at the strange idioms that her race used. 

Smiling, Elisa then allowed herself to be lifted into Goliath's strong arms. When Goliath was sure he had her secured, he jumped from the tower and glided down below to the courtyard. Assembled there was the clan, David Xanatos, Fox, and Owen. 

"Are you ready to go, Angela?" Elisa asked as Goliath lowered her to the ground. 

"Yes, I cannot wait to see everyone again!" 

"Good," Goliath said, smiling warmly at his daughter. Turing serious once more, he turned to Brooklyn and said, "I'm leaving you in charge of the clan once more, but this time I know that I will be back shortly." 

"Take your time Goliath, we'll be just fine," Brooklyn reassured, a confident look on his face. _Please don't take too long_ being what he was really thinking. During Goliath's Avalon trip, Brooklyn quickly discovered that leading the clan wasn't all it was cracked up to be. 

"Well then," Goliath said, turning to face Elisa and Angela, "let's be going." 

"Not yet, Big Guy," Elisa said, holding up her hand as she walked next to the three humans standing off to the side. "Fox, do you have a message for your mother?" 

"I don't have a mother," Fox replied, her eyes flashing. 

Nodding in understanding, Elisa then turned to Owen. "As for you Owen, I'd like to repay you in some way for helping Goliath and I with the whole Demona issue a while back." 

"There's no need. Seeing as how the human Elisa Maza is still needed for Destiny to be fulfilled, and how you were unwilling to allow anyone to take your place, I was merely doing my job... it was my fulfilling my Fate." 

Puzzled by the manservant's cryptic answer, Elisa simply stared at him for a few moments before shaking away her confusion. "Okay... well, Fate or not, I'd still like to give you something in return." 

"I assure you, Detective Maza, there is nothing for you to give me." 

"I think so... the Cauldron of Life doth turn your hand to stone leaving you with no feeling to the bone. So now this fae magic created from the time of dawn will leave Owen Burnett and be completely gone." Once more Elisa's eyes flashed bright green as energy left her body to surround Owen Burnett's stone hand. As the magic departed, Owen flexed his now flesh hand. 

"My thanks, Detective Maza," Owen said, not missing a beat or changing his facial expression. 

Turning back to the clan, who was giving her an assortment of astonished looks, Elisa said, "Now we can leave." Grabbing onto Goliath and Angela, Elisa said, "Take us to where I want to go... take us to le lac de l'eau." The mist surrounded them quickly and then they were gone in the blink of an eye. 

When the mist cleared, Goliath found he and his companions on the edge of a beautiful, yet familiar lake. "Where are we?" Goliath asked, turning to Elisa. 

"The lake in Central Park... don't you recognize it?" 

"Now I do, but I was confused by what you said at the end of your spell." 

"Yes," Angela said, turning from her survey of their surroundings to face Elisa. "What does 'le lac de l'eau' mean?" 

"It's French. Roughly translated it's something like 'the lake of water.'" 

"French? Is that a language?" Goliath asked, trying the new word on his tongue. 

"Uh, yeah... you speak it in France," Elisa explained. At their confused expression, Elisa sighed and thought _when we get back, a geography lesson is definitely in order_. "Never mind. Let's boogie!" At Elisa's continued use of slang, Goliath and Angela became more and more confused. Ignoring their puzzlement, Elisa faced the lake and said, "Mists of Avalon come to thee, bring the skiff and answer my plea. Avalon we doth desire, send the boat and don't raise my sire." As Elisa's eyes glowed green, Goliath and Angela faced the dark waters. The trees began to sway in a sudden breeze and their view became obscured by fog. Then, the skiff appeared as they knew it would. "You know, I never would have thought that I'd be happy to see this thing again," Elisa continued thoughtfully. 

"I know... I'm half tempted to sink it right now," Angela growled. 

"Well," Goliath said, breaking their silence, "let's get going. We can't sit here and stare at the skiff all night." Reaching down, Goliath gently picked Elisa up and set her gently into the skiff. Angela followed suit by jumping in, leaving Goliath to push the boat from shore before joining them. As he used the pole to push them deeper, the mist surrounded them. 

"Gee, doesn't this bring back memories?" Elisa asked wryly. 

Luckily the trip was short, for the mists began to clear before them in a matter of minutes. In front of the skiff now lay the beautiful sandy shores of Avalon. They barely had time to pull the boat ashore before a thump was heard behind them. 

Turning, Angela was greeted with the sight of her rookery brother and sister, Gabriel and Ophelia. 

"Angela!" they yelled happily as they ran forward to wrap her in a warm embrace. 

"Rookery brother, sister... it's been so long! I've missed you so much!" 

"So long?" Gabriel asked, releasing her from his hug. "Why it's only been a few months since you've left." 

"A few months here turns out to be half a year in the outside world," Angela explained. 

"Have you not reached Man-hat-tan yet?" Ophelia asked. "Why did Avalon send you here?" 

"Oh, we made it there months ago! It's everything Elisa said it would be!" Angela gushed. "Buildings taller than the clouds, devices that seem like magic, a machine called television which is like a moving tapestry..." 

"Whoa, whoa Angela!" Elisa cut in, laughing at her friend's enthusiasm. "You can tell them everything later... right now maybe we should go and see Princess Katherine and Guardian Tom at the castle first. 

"You are correct, Elisa," Goliath said, smiling warmly at his love. Scooping her up, Goliath placed her on his back and began climbing the high cliff. The younger gargoyles fell in behind him, following obediently. When they were high enough, the gargoyles jumped from their positions and soared into the night sky. 

Castle on Avalon 

As the group landed in the open courtyard, they were quickly surrounded by curious gargoyles. Goliath, Angela, and Elisa were soon swamped by the many questions. Luckily, the questions died away as Princess Katherine and Guardian Tom broke through the mob of young gargoyles. 

"What in Heaven's name be goin' on here?" the Princess asked in her thick Scottish accent. "Oh my, Goliath, Angela, Elisa!" she gasped as she caught sight of the trio. "What ye three be doin' here? Why has Avalon sent ye here 'gain?" 

"Avalon didn't," Goliath said. Bowing at the waist, Goliath then followed with, "M'lady." 

"Ach, don't be doin' that before th' eggs. Ye'll be puttin' strange ideas in their heads," Princess said good naturedly. 

"But, then why are ye here Goliath?" Tom asked curiously. 

"I have business with the King and Queen of Avalon," Elisa answered for them all, stepping forth. 

"What business would ye have wit' Lord Oberon and th' Queen Titania? And who summoned th' skiff?" the Guardian asked. 

"A long story," Elisa sighed. "One that will have to wait till later. Now that I'm here, I'm eager to finally get the answers I've been waiting for." 

"But of course Elisa, we'll be waitin' for yer return then," Princess said, a look of bewilderment on her face. "Will Angela be accompanying ye?" 

"No, I think that Angela has some things to catch up with all of you," Elisa said, smiling at the eager looks of the gargoyles' faces. 

Angela turned with a hopeful look upon her face to Goliath. "Father, can I really stay behind?" 

"Yes, Elisa and I will be back by dawn," Goliath said, smiling at her enthusiasm. Seeing Elisa's eagerness, Goliath scooped her into his arms and began their climb. Then, it was off to the royal palace of Avalon. 

The throne room, royal palace of Avalon 

"My King Oberon..." Selene said. 

"And Queen Titania..." Phoebe broke in. 

"Goliath and the human Elisa Maza wish to have a moment of your time," Luna finished. 

"Ah, the time has come..." Oberon muttered thoughtfully. 

"Send them in Weird Sisters," Titania commanded and not only a moment later Goliath and Elisa were ushered into the grand room. "Goliath," the queen began, smiling warmly, "leader of the gargoyles of Manhattan. Elisa Maza, human police detective and friend of the clan, welcome." 

"What can we do for you?" Oberon asked. 

"Your highnesses," Elisa said, bowing elegantly before them. "I have many questions, and have been told by an... acquaintance that my answers could be found within you both." 

"What are these questions?" Oberon asked slowly, hoping that it wasn't the questions he was thinking of. 

"Why can I perform magic?" Elisa asked quickly. 

Groaning, Oberon did a very un-King like thing as he hid his head in his hands. 

Not waiting for an answer, Elisa continued firing her questions. "Where am I getting the knowledge to use the magic from? What the hell is going on?" 

"Talika, you've really outdone yourself this time," Oberon muttered quietly. 

"Who is Talika?" Goliath asked, overhearing Oberon. 

"She is the protector of the human race," Titania answered, her husband still groaning at the present mess he suddenly found himself thrust in. 

"The protector?" Elisa asked, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. 

"Here, you may want to sit down," Titania said. With a wave of her hand, two chairs appeared behind Goliath and Elisa. "My explanation may take awhile," she explained. 

Not even blinking an eye, Elisa waved at the chairs, making them disappear and said, "No thanks, we'll stand." 

"Very well. Long ago, The Creator of our world created..." 

"The Creator?" Goliath asked. 

"Well, it has no name or gender, so we've dubbed it The Creator," Oberon explained. "Now, if Titania may continue..." he asked crossly. 

Goliath merely nodded his go ahead. 

"Anyway, like I was saying, The Creator created the two races -- the humans and the fae, at the birth of our world. At first, the races lived in harmony amongst one another. That peace was not to last, however, and The Creator soon realized that the two races needed guidance. So, The Creator created three beings to serve as the races' protector, or at times, leader. Oberon and I were given the power to govern over the fae, the power split between us. In the beginning, Oberon and I lived amongst the fae, allowing freedom and free will amongst our kind, the second race. This soon proved to be a mistake, for the fae were too mischievous for their own good," Titania explained with a wry smile at the gathered fae in the Great Hall. "Therefore," she continued, "a decision was made and Oberon and I stepped forth and announced our presence. We then created Avalon, moving the second race here. So we became the King and Queen of Avalon, the fae our children. As for the humans, they too were given a protector, Talika. Unlike us, she was alone," she continued, a haunted look entering her eyes as she said these words, "and therefore had powers equal only to that of Oberon and mine combined. For a while, she ruled over the humans as their Queen. But about the time of our relocation, she stepped down, intending to give her kind a chance to thrive on their own. Of course she is immortal like us, but to keep occupied, she took on the life of a mortal, like we often do. She is 'born,' so to speak, to her selected mortal parents. Like mortals, she can be killed or die of natural causes, like old age. When this occurs, her identity is no longer valid and to avoid questions of her miraculous return to life, she allows the world to believe her dead. She then returns to her original form for a time before resuming the cycle of birth." 

"So she has always been alone?" Goliath asked, his heart reaching out to this protector.

"For the most part... yes," Titania whispered, that same faraway look entering her eyes. 

Elisa, not noticing this, felt something familiar about the story that she was being told, something that tugged at her senses. "But why has she never had children?" she asked, her heart aching for the poor woman. 

"The Creator has given us only the power to bear children with our selected mate," Oberon spoke up, a deep sadness in his eyes. 

"You mean you two are able to have children but she isn't? Why?" Elisa asked, trying to absorb the information being offered. 

"Another long story that shall have to wait for another day," Titania explained. 

"But wait a minute. You've talked about the humans and faes... what about the gargoyles? I thought we were the second race and you the third," Goliath asked curiously. 

"Ah, the gargoyles. Now that's an interesting story indeed," Oberon said, getting that same faraway look in his eyes. "You see, one day Talika showed up on our doorstep. She said that the world was not as it should and that she had visions of a race that was a combination of the fae and the humans. In order to fulfill the dream, she needed our combined strength to back her. So, with The Creator's permission, the gargoyles were created. The magic of the fae is what allows you to turn to stone at dawn to heal, while you have their humanoid appearance and their mannerisms. Since it was a mix of the two races, the gargoyles were placed between us, becoming the second race and us the third," he explained. 

Sighing, Elisa slowly nodded her head, trying to absorb all that she had been told. In essence, it redefined all of the beliefs that she had been taught as a child and was starting a massive headache that seemed to creep over everything else. While it still fell in with the idea of a God, the God of many religions, it still was far different than anything she had ever before believed or thought possible. But then, her mind quickly drifted back to her own dilemma, that which had brought them there in the first place. "While this is all very illuminating," she began, wearily rubbing her temples before meeting the eyes of the King and the Queen, "I fail to see what this has to do with me and my new found magical ability." 

"But don't you see?" Titania asked urgently. "The protector of the human race is called Talika. Elisa Maza, you are Talika." 

"What?" Goliath asked, unconsciously draping an arm around Elisa's slim form. Deep down, he knew that Titania was leading to something like this. He had figured that Talika had found a way to have children after all, and that Elisa was one of her grand-grand-grand to infinity-grand kids. He had no idea that Elisa was Talika herself. 

Baffled, Elisa quickly shook her head. "If that's true, then why didn't you say something when we first met? I'm sure this Talika person doesn't usually wipe her memories each time she takes on a new life," Elisa pointed out quickly, trying to poke a hole in Titania's theory.

"It's true," Oberon admitted slowly, wiping against his own forehead, "that Talika doesn't usually wipe her memories -- she must have really messed up this time." 

"Talika also usually takes on a different appearance with her mortal lives. This time however, she has not changed forms," Titania continued, eyeing the woman who stood before them. "Still, we did not recognize you. It is probably a side condition of her, or your, spell. Like I said, you're more powerful than we are alone, so it's possible for deception... we can make you remember everything if you like," Titania offered. 

Biting back a disbelieving laugh, Elisa quickly shook her head. She still wasn't buying this idea of her being this immortal protector of the human race deal -- she was just a normal detective.. with admittedly not normal friends. Still, the offer got to her nonetheless and ate at her curiosity. "How?" 

"A simple spell by Oberon and I can override yours." 

"But what will happen to Elisa?" Goliath broke in, his voice a low growl as his arm tightened around her small form. "What will this added knowledge and memories do to her?" he asked, worry entering his deep voice. 

"The personality of Elisa Maza should not be affected," Oberon quickly protested. "Talika never re-created her personality, as was the case of Puck and Owen Burnett," he explained, a sad look hidden on his features as he spoke of Puck. 

"But..." Goliath began. 

"I'll do it," Elisa broke in quickly, surprising them both. 

Turning, Goliath stared at his love. Seeing the set line of her lips, he knew that there would be no convincing her otherwise. Still, he had to try, if only so he could be selfish. If she went through with this, Elisa may no longer love him. According to Oberon and Titania, she did have other loves... what if she decided, or remembered that her love for the others was stronger. "Elisa, are you sure about this? What if..." 

"Goliath, think of the possibilities!" Elisa broke in, excitement beginning to build within her. "If they're right -- if they're right in who they say that I am and if I reclaimed my rule, I'd be able to put an end to wars, illness, poverty... everything wrong with our world!" 

Sighing, Goliath instantly knew that there would be no convincing otherwise. "You are right my love... I will stand beside you no matter what decisions you make or whatever happens." 

Smiling her thanks, Elisa faced the King and Queen of Avalon and said, "Make me remember." 

Nodding, Titania and Oberon stood up from their thrones and grasped hands. Speaking as one they said:

__"Combine thy magique The Creator hath given.  
_Allow us to undo the spell she bidden._  
_Break now bind that holds Talika._  
_Break now bind that holds Talika!"_

As the chanting subsided, the green mist commonly found in the fae soared forth to wrap around Elisa's form. Instead of fading away, as was the usual case, Elisa instead absorbed the mist. And when her feet collapsed under her, Goliath was there to stop her quick flight to the floor. 

"Elisa, are you all right?" Goliath asked, fear tightening like a vise around his heart.

As her strength returned, she quickly regained her footing. Turning she smiled at her love and said, "Don't worry Goliath, I'm fine," as a sea of memories overcame her mind. In that instant, Elisa and Talika became one once more as the memories of her hundreds of lifetimes filled her mind with a sadness and warmth that left her feeling strangely full, even when before she hadn't been aware that anything had been missing. 

"Do you remember..." 

"Everything," Talika finished for him with a small smile, sending Titania and Oberon a grateful look before looking deeply into Goliath's onyx eyes. "And not a thing has changed. I'm still the same person I was five minutes, one year, and twelve decades ago. I haven't changed except to have gained a little knowledge, memories, and experience," she stated firmly, her eyes daring him to disbelieve her. "I love you as much as I did before, if not more so." 

"So, will you be reclaiming your position as leader, Talika?" Oberon asked, breaking into their heartfelt words with bored curiosity. 

"No. With the memories came the realization as to why I've given up the role in the first place. My kind is in a mess right now," she admitted with a sour frown, "but I have faith that they can and will be able to pull themselves out, without my intervention. Oh, and also... Oberon, my memory lapse wasn't a mistake," Talika said wryly. "I wanted to experience what a normal life would be like if I hadn't been who I am, and I always will be. But, it seems as though my magic found me in the end." 

"A wise choice.. Talika," Goliath replied quietly to his love, stumbling over the unfamiliar name. 

At this, she turned back to her love with a small smile. "Goliath, another decision I've made is to keep this our little secret. I don't want to lose the life I've been given. Therefore, the clan can't be told.. not anyone." 

"I promise you, Talika, your secret is safe with me," Goliath swore. 

"That's another thing Big Guy, call me Elisa," Elisa laughed as she elbowed him gently in the ribs. 

"Gladly, Elisa," Goliath said, giving her one of his rare smiles. 

"What will you do now, Tal... Elisa?" Titania asked of her friend.

"Well..." Elisa trailed off as she turned and raised her eyebrows at Goliath. Seeing his nod, she quickly made up her mind. "I think we'll give Angela a chance to see her rookery brothers and sisters and enjoy a short vacation here on Avalon before returning home... I shall see you soon my friends," she finished with a nod at the King and Queen. 

"Till then, Elisa Maza," Oberon said warmly, smiling one of _his_ rare smiles. 

Castle Wyvern -- four nights later 

Sunrise was almost upon Goliath and Elisa. They were sharing one final kiss before Goliath's stone sleep overtook him. 

Goliath, Elisa, and Angela had returned home a couple of hours ago. Eleven days had passed in the real world. As far as the explanation went, everyone now believed that her magic ability was the side result of Puck's adventure with Titania's mirror -- when he had turned her into a gargoyle. Elisa had talked to Owen before hand, making sure he knew the story. He agreed only on one condition: that she allow him to run free for one night as Puck with his full magical ability and no Alex. It was tough, but Elisa finally caved. 

As the kiss ended, Goliath asked, "What have your past experiences been?" 

"Oh Goliath! I've done everything from ruling kingdoms, being a pharaoh's wife, to being a peasant woman," Elisa laughed as she waved away her memories with a careless wave. "I've experienced it all." 

"All sorts of love also," Goliath mumbled. 

"Goliath, you know how I feel about you!" Elisa laughed before she saw the seriousness in his eyes. He actually meant it. 

"How you feel about me, yes... others, no." 

Sighing, Elisa slowly chewed her lips, choosing best how to prove it to him. "You'll just have to take my word that you're the one I've been waiting for since my creation." 

At her words of love, a smile lighted up his handsome face, captured for the day in stone. 

"The one that The Creator intended to be my companion... my love, the one in my visions since The New Beginning... the sole reason I created the gargoyles..."

**THE END**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	5. Remember My Love

Remember My Love

**"Remember My Love"**  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 10/30/97

Revised on: 05/28/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the fourth installment to the Talika Series. 

Brief Summary: Talika's help is needed as the world faces the biggest threat seen as memories begin to resurface. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content

**_Remember My Love_**

Elisa's apartment -- 5:30pm 

Groaning, Elisa reached forward and slapped her hand against the snooze button. _Stupid alarm clock!_ she grumbled to herself. To make it worse, this was no alarm clock that gave off an annoying beep or played the radio.. no, she had to buy a talking alarm clock. That's right, a talking alarm clock. For instance, what woke her from her deep slumber this evening was a rooster crowing "Cockeldoodledoo! Cockeldoodledoo! Cockeldoodledoo!" And then an annoying hollow male voice saying "Five thirty pm... Cockeldoodledoo! Cockeldoodledoo! Cockeldoodledoo! Five thirty pm," and so on and so forth. She felt like throwing the damned thing against the wall but resigned herself to throwing the covers back and hopping out of bed. 

With the shades drawn the room was dark. Stumbling in the inky blackness, Elisa headed for the light switch. Instead, she stumbled and bumped into things left and right, cursing as she went. Finally, she just stopped in her tracks and said, "Let there be light dans ma chambre." As her eyes glowed a bright green, an audible click was heard as the light switch turned on, seemingly of its own accord. Blinking in the sudden light, Elisa mumbled, "Gotta love magic." 

_More French?_ she mused to herself. Searching her vast store of memories, Elisa finally realized why it seemed that at least half of the spells she cast were in French. Sure she took a couple years of the language while in High School, but still, that was no reason to account for her fluidity in it once her memories returned. Now she knew... during her _very_ long lifetime, she had spent a good majority of it in France. It was a lovely country and apparently the language stuck in her head. "Oh là là!" Elisa said, shaking her head as she stumbled to the bathroom. She needed to shower, eat breakfast, and then head over to the Aerie so she could greet her love. 

Ever since their return from Avalon a couple of weeks ago, things had progressed like normal. Her revelation hadn't really changed her perspective on life. She was still the same person.. albeit with a different given name. Then again, no one was to call her Talika... that would just cause problems. Right now she'd just settle for Elisa Maza. After having it for twenty eight years, she was used to it and even liked it. It was also a relief to finally be able to have her original form back again. As for Goliath, the only other person to know the truth... he hadn't mentioned it, to her great relief. If he pressed too hard then there would be a lot of explaining to do about certain things.. like her motives behind her actions in the past. Mainly, her motive for creating the gargoyles. What she had told Titania and Oberon was a lie. 

Since a time long ago, she had always been alone. Talika was tough, though, and she had buried her loneliness for the good of her people. Still, The Creator knew of her sadness.. and as a gift to his star pupil, his favorite creation, he gave her visions of a time when she'd no longer have to be alone. Because of those visions, Talika knew what she had to do -- or at least had an idea. With a little manipulation on her part, and the blind faith of her friends, the gargoyles were created. Because of her remarkable abilities and position, she could honestly say that she remembered the day of the first vision like it was yesterday... 

Egypt -- 1020 B.C. 

Talika shook her head in anger, the tears dripping down her face. "Not again!" she moaned quietly. Her human and mortal love was dead again. Sure, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but she would have gladly preferred later to sooner. She couldn't really call it love though, but merely, the human that she cared for most of all. In this time and place, Talika was known as Sheika, an Egyptian peasant woman. 

A couple of years ago, a young and sweet Egyptian boy fell madly in love with her. He was so kind and his family well liked, so her father accepted his proposal on her behalf -- she didn't mind. She really had no choice in the matter anyway, her parents were preparing to marry her off.. it was her time of marriage. Together, Anghelsh and she lived a simple, if not pleasant life. She really cared for Anghelsh -- he was her best friend. A couple of hours ago, though, her mortal mother, Kaeite, came to their small hut and informed her of the tragic accident, the one that ended her Anghelsh's life. 

A few years ago, the pharaoh of the land decided that it was time to begin building his pyramid. All of the able bodied men in the land were called to work, straining for all of their worth to build the biggest pyramid seen to date. That morning, Sheika had kissed her adoring husband goodbye as he was off to help in the building. Apparently, one of the large rock boulders that Anghelsh was helping to move slid back from its position.. right onto her beloved husband. A terrible injustice that happened all to often in this time. 

_I should have been watching!_ Sheika said angrily to herself. Even though she looked like a normal Egyptian woman she still had her normal powers. Usually, as she went about her usual chores, she used part of her mind to keep a close eye on her love. Today, she was so busy using her powers to destroy a large fire ball that was heading towards their home that she didn't keep watch over him. That lack of attention cost Anghelsh his life.. making her a young widow, at only the age of sixteen. When she thought back to it now, Talika was able to put more modern and scientific names to the incident. What really happened was that once again another comet was speeding towards Earth.. the result would have been catastrophic. They would have faced another ice age and her race would have perished. So, Talika did what she was created for: she protected the humans of the world. 

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sheika walked over to the bed her and her beloved husband once shared and lay across it. She didn't know what to do. How many times in the last millennium had she faced this same problem? How many more times did she need to experience this pain as her loved ones grew old and died before her eyes. In this case, she didn't even get to share in that love for very long. "Why Creator? Why must you put me through this torment? Why have you destined me to live my life all alone, while Titania and Oberon have each other? Why do you hate me so?" Sheika asked bitterly as her tears soaked her clothing and the cloth on the little bed. Then, she did the only thing she knew how to do in the face of such times... she slept... and dreamed. 

Dreaming in itself was as strange as anything else. Whenever she did dream, it was of the past and her loved ones she had to leave behind. This time, though, her dream was filled of visions from the future. She saw herself in her original form, wrapped in the arms of a great winged being. He was more beautiful than any human she had ever seen. To make it even stranger, his whole aura seeped of her, Titania, and Oberon's magic. He towered over her, at least seven feet tall, with long black hair cascading down his lavender skin, with large wings protruding from his back and a massive tail swishing occasionally behind him. This was no beast -- he was intelligent and honorable. He was perfect. And he was hers... not in the possessive way, but in the fact that he loved her to no end, and that she actually returned the love. 

As Sheika woke from the dream, she knew that this was a vision sent from The Creator. He was letting her know of a time when she would no longer have to be alone, and that she would finally have the love that she had been craving. As the days progressed, she also knew how to go about ensuring that this prophecy would be fulfilled. It was that hope that got her through the remaining trials of the life of Sheika. 

The destruction of Anghelsh marked her for that life. She was getting old and wouldn't be at the marrying age much longer. To make it worse, she was then called in front of the mighty pharaoh so he could offer the poor widow his condolences.. when he noticed her great beauty. Since his previous wives had all died, and Sheika being a newly made widow, she quickly became the old pharaoh's wife. Now that was different.. he was so old, or at least, old for the time. The pharaoh was thirty two years old after all! So, she became royalty. Most people would consider this a good thing and a step up, but even though her new husband treated her with great kindness and respect, she still missed Anghelsh. He was a good friend and a good person. 

Elisa's apartment -- 5:45 pm 

"Je regrettais toi, Anghelsh," Elisa murmured as the hot water cascaded down her back, which instantly brought her back to the present. Snapping her head up, Elisa said, "Start paying attention, Elisa, or else the guys are going to start wondering why you've become a fountain of French." Sighing, she shut off the water and stepped into the steamy bathroom. _Hmmm, French. That brings an especially painful memory to mind_, Elisa thought to herself, once again becoming lost in her new found memories of the past... 

Paris, France -- French Revolution 

As Talika stared at the angry mass before her, she knew that there was no getting out of this one. _Oh, I am not looking forward to this_, Talika thought to herself. The times were rough nowadays in Paris, in France at all, and Talika had the misfortune to be stuck right in the middle of it. 

In this time, Talika had been born to loving and caring parents. Her given name was Jacquelyn.... Jacquelyn le Tailleur. Even though a war raged in their country, the Tailleur family paid no heed and carried out their lives like usual. Until the horror of the revolutionary war was brought face to face with Jacquelyn. 

When Jacquelyn was only eighteen years old, she took her little sister, Carmen, to the market for fresh food for dinner. Stubbornly, Jacquelyn had pushed all thoughts of Carmen growing old and dying, leaving her side forever, to the far regions of her mind. All she wanted to concentrate on was the precious time they had together. Unfortunately, on the way home from the market, the girls saw a young soldier beating a little child. She had heard tales of this before, where a drunk soldier would take out his anger on an innocent citizen, never to take blame for their punishment. To make it even worse, the little boy was already lying on the ground, bloodied, and the guard showing no signs of stopping. He was going to beat the little boy to death.. a child of no more than four years of age. As Jacquelyn stared around the little alley, she saw other people watching in horror as well. Still, she knew in her heart that no one would intervene and help the poor child, for to do so would be certain death. Even though she knew the consequences that her actions would have, and despite the fact that she loved her mortal family dearly, Jacquelyn knew that as her job as protector of the humans, there was no way in hell she was going to just sit there and watch as the little boy was murdered before her own eyes. Handing her basket to Carmen, Jacquelyn quickly moved toward the soldier, prying Carmen's restraining hand from her arm and giving her a look that all but ordered Carmen to stay put. 

"Excusez-moi, monsieur," Jacquelyn said politely. 

"Quoi? (What?)" the soldier demanded angrily, stopping his fist in mid-air and looking at the girl before him. His face softened as he took in the sight. She was gorgeous. Long brown hair cascaded down her back, with little ringlets framing her white porcelain face, while large blue eyes stared at him above a tiny little nose. She was wearing a long dress with an apron down the front, covered in dirt and grime, as was most at this time in the city. 

"Qu'est-ce que tu as? (What happened?)" Jacquelyn asked, trying to remain polite as she helped the little boy to his feet and shooed him away. 

"Rien, mademoiselle... mais, ce n'est pas ton souci. Allez, maintenant! (Nothing, miss... but, it's not your concern. Go, now!)" the guard ordered, beginning to lose patience with the girl. No matter how pretty she was, there was no way he was going to let her get away with back talking to him or butting in on his business. 

"Mais, il est un petit garcon! (But, he's a little boy!)" Jacquelyn protested. She knew that she had to keep the soldier occupied. As she spoke, Carmen was carrying the little boy away, going for help for him. Deep down, both girls knew that it was already too late for her. 

"Je sais, et tu es une petite fille... tu vas mourir pour ca, fille! (I know, and you are a little girl... you will die for this, girl!)" Without further hesitation, the manacles were clamped on her wrists, the soldier's face a dark, livid purple.. he was mad. 

Sighing, Jacquelyn allowed herself to be led back to the prison where she was quickly incarcerated. Luckily, the wait wasn't long and Jacquelyn was quickly brought before judge and jury. As her family stood watch, they could do nothing but cry as their beloved daughter was sentenced to death by beheading. 

Which brought her up to now. She was next in line for the guillotine. Cringing, she watched as another prisoner was forced onto the wooden floor, his head placed over the brace. Turning away, Jacquelyn decided not to watch the incident, choosing instead to locate her family. She didn't have to look very hard, for her father and mother were forging their way to the prisoner line. 

"Ah, ma.." her father began when he reached her. 

"Non Papa.. l'anglais. Je ne veux pas la garde à comprendre. (No Papa... English. I don't want the guard to understand)" Jacquelyn whispered to her family. 

"Okay, my child. We will speak in this foreign language that you insisted on teaching us," Mama replied sadly. 

"Thank you, Mama. Where is Carmen? Please say that you left her at home," Jacquelyn said worriedly. 

"Yes, we decided that Carmen didn't need to be in attendance at her sister's beheading," Papa said, tears in his eyes. 

"Don't cry Papa. I chose this path, it was a consequence I was willing to take in order to help the boy." 

"My brave little girl," Mama said sadly, tears trailing down her cheeks. 

"How is the boy?" Jacquelyn asked, hope tinting her voice. 

"The boy died yesterday.. your gift was all for nothing," said Papa. 

"No Papa, Mama, never forget what I did. Even if he did not make it, that doesn't mean that others cannot. I did what I knew was right... to help that little child when he needed it most. If everyone in the world did this, imagine what a place it would be. Never forget the gift that I tried to give.. never forget the sacrifice I made. My life for a child's is never in vain. Please don't forget," Jacquelyn pleaded, her own tears starting to drip. 

"Hush, child," Papa said quietly, wiping Jacquelyn's tears away. "Do not cry... be brave for us." 

Straightening her shoulders, Jacquelyn wiped away her remaining tears and said, "I'll be brave for you, but you must also be brave for me." In truth, although Talika had died already in many different ways and in many different occasions, this was her first beheading. She had experienced all kinds of ways to die, from stabbing, to falling, to drowning, to burning, to rape, to beating... you name it, she'd done it. To be honest, the guillotine scared her slightly, and she didn't look forward to the pain. As a matter of a fact, all she wanted to do was blink herself out of this place. Still, that would be wrong and all it would do would cause her beloved family harm. They would be suspected of witchcraft if their daughter disappeared right before her decapitation. 

Suddenly one of the guards grabbed Jacquelyn roughly from behind and began to pull her towards the platform. "Attend! Laissez-moi tranquille! (Wait! Leave me alone!)" Jacquelyn yelled to the guard. Running, she made her way quickly back to her parents. They both embraced her tightly as she said, "I love you both, always remember that!" 

"We will see you in the next world, young one!" Mama cried, breaking Jacquelyn's heart even more. 

As she was lead back up to the platform, she thought of her mother's words. "I'm sorry Mama, but I won't be able to be with you in the next world... I'll never see that place or you again," Jacquelyn said quietly to herself. When she reached the top step, she was pushed roughly to the wooden floor. Allowing no more tears, she was made to kneel on the wooden floor, her hands tied painfully behind her back. All about her was the stain of fresh blood, soon to be joined by her own. Then, it was time. As her crimes were read aloud, the executioner forced her shoulders down so her tiny neck fit snugly into the horseshoe indentation. Then, she heard the call come from the judge, the wooden latch being pulled, and the large blade swoosh down towards her body. Then, there was a stab of agony in her neck. Blinking, she could only stare as her head was lifted by the hair till she faced her corpse. The last thing Jacquelyn le Tailleur saw was her body surrounded in blood, minus her head. 

Then, there was only silence and darkness for Talika. Next, there was light. When her eyes adjusted to the light, Talika found herself in the middle of a high and grassy plain. This is where she always found herself after the mortal body she inhabited died. Like always, she was alone in the middle of the beautiful field.. a place that could only be reached by death. This was the gateway between life and death. And of course, like usual she could go no further. Instead, Talika sat in the grassy meadow, once again inhabiting her own body. Sighing, she reached down and picked a red rose sitting before her, her black raven locks fluttering over her shoulders. Crying out, Talika dropped the rose as her hand began to bleed where a thorn pricked her. Staring at the blood, Talika said, "I can bleed, feel pain, and love.. yet I cannot die with my loved ones. If not for the knowledge of my love, I could not live on any longer. How many more loved ones must I lose before he arrives? How much longer till the gargoyle love, my soul mate is born and finally finds his way to my side?" There would be no answer for her in this beautiful place. Knowing that, Talika picked herself delicately from the willowy grasses, brushing casually her flowing white gown of any dirt particles to be found. It was time to get back to work, time to find new parents and a new life to take over. The hope of her winged love would sustain her longer.. she would find peace and love soon enough... 

Elisa's apartment -- 6:15pm 

Sighing, Elisa picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her long black hair. As soon as she finished she could hit the road and hopefully make it to the castle in time for Goliath's awakening. Thinking back, Elisa had always known that in time, her love would come, and that hopeful knowledge was exactly what she needed to keep her going through the centuries and decades. He finally had come. Goliath was the sole reason that his race was created. A whole race created just so she wouldn't have to be alone any longer... it was amazing to think about it. Still, it was best not to tell Goliath.. she didn't know how he'd take it. 

Goliath.. what was she going to do? Her love had finally been born.. millenniums of waiting over. But was she to only experience his love for a couple of centuries? After that, he would be stone for eternity, his life over. To be honest, she had never really thought about what was to happen after she'd found her love. She had always just concentrated on the fact that she wouldn't have to be alone any longer. "What will I do when Goliath's time is over?" Elisa muttered aloud, giving her hair one last ferocious yank. 

"Good question, Talika.. what will you do when Goliath finally kicks the bucket?" 

Quickly Elisa whirled around, whipping her gun out of its holster at the same time. Sitting in mid air behind her was none other than Puck, the infamous trickster himself. "Puck, what are you doing here? Oberon's going to kill you, literally, when he finds out you're breaking his rules," Elisa warned, walking out of her bedroom and into the living room of her small apartment. 

"No I won't get in trouble. You gave me a free night, Talika, and I'm using it!" Puck laughed twirling in circles around the room. 

"I told you never to refer to me as Talika.. I'm Elisa Maza, and don't you forget it!" Elisa warned, a dangerous edge entering her voice. 

"I know you said that.. but you're you, and I'm me, the Puck, no one else is here... what's the big deal?" 

"Never mind," Elisa gave in, knowing that it was a pointless argument. 

"Anyway," Puck singsonged, "what will you do when Goliath dies? He's not immortal like you, ya know." 

"I know Puck.. what makes you think I didn't realize it?" Elisa said sadly as she stopped to flip her collar back. By looking out the window, Elisa saw rain, rain, and more rain. 

"Think about it.. one shot from one of your enemies and Goliath goes bye bye.. leaving you for the rest of eternity... all... a... lone," Puck said, drawing out the word. 

Seeing that Puck was really enjoying tormenting her, Elisa stalked towards the door. "Next time, I won't be so generous with my gift giving!" Elisa called over her shoulder as she opened the door and began flicking off lights. 

"Hey, where ya going?" Puck said, a hurt note in his voice as he saw his prey leaving with nothing he could do to stop her. With anyone else, he'd just use his magic to bring her back in.. with Talika though, that just spelled out trouble. She could kill him with the snap of her fingers if she so wished. Then again, since Talika was a full fledged human, that also meant that she was nicer than most all powerful beings... and more likely that she wouldn't fry his butt in a fit of rage. 

"I'm going to visit the guys.. enjoy your night of freedom Puck, it's the only one you'll get!" 

Castle Wyvern -- 7:02pm 

Running up the tower stairs, Elisa burst through the final opening and into the wet night. Gasping, she bent over and tried to gather her breath. She had just made it.. as usual. Standing straight, Elisa wiped the water from her eyes and watched in wonder as Goliath broke from his stone encasing. He was in his thinking pose again, Elisa noted. He seemed to be taking that positioning quite a lot lately.. was she the cause? As he roared his awakening to the dark night, Elisa smiled in anticipation. Then, Goliath turned to face her, his face lighting up as he caught sight of his love. 

"Elisa!" he called out happily. Stepping forward, he wrapped her up in his warm embrace, effectively shielding her from the rain, the cold, and the world. This was what she had been waiting for all those decades.. this was The Creator's gift to her. 

"Hi Goliath, sleep well?" 

"Do I ever not?" he countered, finally stepping back. "You work tonight?" he asked, taking in her red jacket, blue jeans, and the tip of her holster barely sticking out. 

"Yes, but not till later.. uh, did you want to go inside?" Elisa asked, wringing her long black hair out, laughing with Goliath at the amount of water that fell to the stone floor. 

"You look like a drowned bat!" Goliath said, still laughing as he scooped her up into his arms and glided down to the courtyard below. Elisa contemplated correcting him on his expression, bat to rat, but decided against it. He could say it any way he wanted to. Together they walked into the Great Hall where they were greeted by the rest of the clan. 

"Hello lass, lad," Hudson said as he headed off towards the television room, Bronx in tow. 

"Hi Goliath! Bye Elisa!" Brooklyn shouted as he ran out the door beside them. 

"Bye Father and Elisa!" Angela yelled, following after Brooklyn with Lexington on her heels. 

"Hi Elisa, hi Goliath!" Broadway waved as he headed for the kitchen. 

"Wow!" Elisa gasped when they were finally alone. "Where are they all off to in such a hurry?" 

"Broadway to eat, Hudson to watch TV, and the remaining three mentioned something about a new movie playing that they wanted to see at the theater," Goliath explained, bemused himself at the sudden flurry of activity. "The library?" he asked, cocking his head towards the library. 

Nodding in agreement, Elisa locked arms with Goliath and walked through another set of massive doors. Once inside, Elisa settled herself on the couch as Goliath set to work starting a fire in the massive fire place. 

"You really care about them all, don't you?" Elisa asked absent mindedly as she played with the afghan she was sitting on. 

"Hmm?" Goliath rumbled, preoccupied with trying to light the wood. 

"You really care about the clan, don't you?" she asked again, focusing on his muscled back as he worked. 

"Of course," she heard him reply as he grunted with his work. It was funny, he could go through metal with his bare hands, yet he had trouble starting a fire. Getting up from her position on the couch, she kneeled beside her love and took the matches from his hands. 

"Here, let me try," she said. As she worked, she rephrased her question, "Seriously, they're the world to you, aren't they?" 

"Of course, they're clan," Goliath muttered as he heaved more logs onto the growing pile. You could see that she still didn't have his full attention. "I don't know what I'd do without them.. I probably wouldn't be able to go on if they weren't there by my side," Goliath said, looking up from his work to stare in his love's eyes. "Why do you ask?" 

"Oh, just making conversation," Elisa said, lowering her eyes quickly to the fire before her. With a final match struck, the fire finally began to pick up, consuming logs as it went. Now she had her answer. For a while, she had been thinking of what to do about Goliath. Should she make him immortal like herself? It was a difficult task that could only be accomplished with The Creator's permission, but it'd be worth it. But now she knew that was out of the question. Goliath would hate her if he was forced to live for eternity, having to watch the clan die around him while he lived on. Sighing, Elisa leaned forward and held her hands over the growing warmth. 

"Elisa, are you cold?" Goliath asked, concern touching his face as he quickly wrapped his own massive hands around hers. 

Smiling up at her love, Elisa shook her head no. The moment was perfect. Here they were sitting in a quiet and cozy library, a warm fire going before them. Staring up into his black eyes, Elisa soon lost herself in the darkness. Goliath was as equally enthralled as he stared within her large, dark eyes. Slowly, they brought their faces together and sighed as their lips touched... 

...And then a sudden wind began to whip around the room. Breaking away from each other, Elisa and Goliath turned towards the source of the commotion. There standing in what was the empty library was now The Weird Sisters. 

Jumping to his feet, Goliath quickly demanded, "Weird Sisters, what are you doing here?" 

"We come not to speak with you, Goliath," Selene said in her monotone voice. 

"But instead have words.." Luna said in a matching voice. 

"...with the lady Talika," Phoebe finished with a bow to Elisa. 

Stepping forward, Elisa said, "Weird Sisters, what brings you from Avalon to so rudely interrupt me, and calling me by my given name no less." 

"Our apologies, Lady Talika," Selene spoke up once more, the sisters bowing their heads in unison. 

"But Avalon is in great need of your assistance," Luna said. 

"Avalon? What is the problem with your domain? More mad archmages to thwart?" Talika asked, her Maza sarcasm showing through her cool demeanor. 

"Lord Oberon and Lady Titania are in need of your assistance..." said Phoebe. 

"In need of my assistance?" Talika asked, worry covering her face. 

"You must come at once," Selene pleaded, a very un-weird sister like thing to do. 

"Why do they need my assistance, what has happened?" Talika demanded quickly. 

"We do not have time for explanations, you must accompany us at once," Luna said quickly. 

"Elisa, don't go like this.. not until you know what's going on. It may be a trap laid out for you by the king and queen of Avalon themselves," Goliath insisted quickly, holding on to her arm firmly, to remind her of his presence. 

"Don't worry Goliath, I have nothing to fear from Oberon and Titania, but you're right. Speak quickly Sisters, what misfortune has occurred?" 

Sighing, Phoebe quickly said, "An evil greater than anything we have ever experienced entered Avalon tonight." 

"Only your magic can stop it from taking all of Avalon, and then your mortal world." 

"Lord Oberon and our Queen Titania were taken separately, unable to put their magic together to stop the threat." 

"Now they are both being held in chambers of iron." 

"Too far away for their magic to come together." 

"Our brothers and sisters have been enclosed in similar casings." 

"Queen Titania managed to send us before her capture." 

"To get you to aid us." 

"Her final words to us were that you were the world's only hope," Selene finished, casting a hopeful look, identical to her sisters' in Talika's direction. 

"But what of Princess Katherine, Guardian Tom and the eggs?" Goliath questioned, worry lining his voice. 

"The being cast an evil spell upon them, turning them all to stone," the sisters said in unison. 

"Don't worry Goliath, after I'm through with all of this, I can reverse whatever spell he cast," Elisa reassured. "The spell is probably a plus on my side, anyway, that just means that they're safely out of the way and can't get into trouble.. and possibly killed." 

"Are you sure, my love?" Goliath asked, worry still etching his face. 

"Positive," Elisa confirmed. 

"Then you will help us?" the sisters asked in unison. 

To their relief, Talika nodded her head in their direction before saying, "I will go to Avalon and try to help. If I do not return or if you are not summoned back, then you will know that I have failed. I leave you here to guard the castle and all who lie within. Guard them to your death Weird Sisters, or you will have me to face. Summon Puck in order to aid you," Elisa ordered, giving each sister a firm look. 

"Puck?" Luna asked. 

"But Puck is banned," Phoebe added. 

"Puck is Owen," Selene pointed out. 

"And Owen is Puck," Talika countered quickly. "I've given Puck free roam with his powers tonight in thanks to help he paid me in the past. You can find him wreaking havoc somewhere in the city, no doubt." 

Goliath watched all of this solemnly, as his beloved handed out orders. Then, she raised her hands above her head. Without saying a word, a bright flash followed. When his eyesight cleared, Elisa was still standing beside him, only instead of her work outfit, she was now wearing a loose fitting cotton dress that billowed in some unseen breeze. It was an outfit that angels would wear.. a simple white sleeveless dress, form fitting around her torso, and then billowing out around her hips to fall loosely down to her ankles. To top it off, delicate white veils were attached here and there to the dress: on the shoulders and around the neck, draping down behind her back. Around her neck she wore a gold plated necklace with a small tear drop crystal hanging on the end. On her wrist was a simple gold plated bracelet, with an anklet around her ankle, where her bare feet stood out beneath the dress. She wore her long black hair as she always did, hanging loose over her shoulders. She was beautiful. "So you're leaving," Goliath said, finally speaking up. 

Turning around quickly, Elisa noticed her love standing behind her. "Of course I'm going. Do you need to even ask?" 

"Why must you go, it is a fae matter.." 

"That can and will spread to our world. Goliath, it's my job to protect, and I can't just sit there on my butt and let my friends be hurt like that!" 

"I understand, but I also know that I am coming with you," Goliath said firmly. 

"Oh no you're not," Elisa quickly said back. Walking to Goliath, she gently laid her hands upon his shoulders, looking deep into his eyes. "I love you Goliath, and it's because of that love that you must stay here." 

Looking deep into Elisa's eyes, he saw the person that he knew and loved. There was no way he was going to leave her to fight this abomination alone. "Elisa, I love you also, more than I have ever loved another. Which is exactly why I must come along with you." 

"Goliath, I don't want to see you get hurt!" Elisa insisted. 

"Look, think of it as me being your temporary partner on this assignment," Goliath pleaded, trying to appeal to her logic. "I'll cover your back while you do the hard stuff." 

"Goliath, I don't need a partner." 

"As Matt once said, it's the times when you don't want a partner that you need one the most. I'm coming with you."

Sighing, Elisa finally gave in. As much as she didn't want to, she found logic in Goliath's reasoning. "Fine, Goliath. But you _must_ be careful!" 

"With you watching over me, my love, I have nothing to fear at all," Goliath said warmly, wrapping Elisa in his arms. 

Unfortunately, the embrace was ended too quickly as the Weird Sisters broke the comfortable silence. "Lady Talika." 

"Time is of the essence." 

"Time is the only thing on our side." 

"You're right. Are you ready to go, Big Guy?" Elisa asked as she reluctantly pulled away from Goliath's warm body. At his confirmed nod, Elisa placed her hands in her loves and closed her eyes, looking up to the ceiling and the sky hidden above. Not knowing exactly what was going on, but having complete faith in Elisa's abilities, Goliath followed suit, tilting his head up while closing his eyes. Soon, Elisa's melodious voice filled the room as she began her chant.

_"Forces and Guardians of Avalon,_  
_Heed to me and bring thus forth._  
_ My love and I request passage to the_  
_ Magical isle in the north._  
_ Do not deceive us and do not stall,_  
_ Make haste and bring us to where I'm called._  
_ Avalon is where I need to be,_  
_ Avalon is where you shall find me!"_

As the green flashed around the pair, the invisible winds stirred once more. Knowing what was coming, the Weird Sisters covered their eyes as once again the bright light lit the room. As the winds died down, the gargoyle and protector were gone. "So the battle begins, Sisters," Selene said quietly. 

"Talika shall overcome the odds in her favor," Luna assured. 

"But at what cost?" Phoebe asked. 

Without answering the question, the sisters vanished in a poof of smoke, off to find their brother, the trickster Puck. 

Avalon 

As the flash disappeared, Goliath and Elisa allowed their eyes to adjust to the dark night around them. 

"Elisa, where are we?" Goliath asked as he slowly took in their surroundings. From the looks of things, it seemed that they were in the middle of a very dense forest. Everywhere Goliath looked he saw tall trees towering over them. Looking down, he saw that they were standing on a bed of pine needles. 

"We're in the woods of Avalon. I figured that we should start here and work our way into the castle.. you know, instead of appearing suddenly in the middle of the battle without knowing the situation," Elisa explained. 

Seeing the wisdom in her actions, Goliath nodded his head in agreement. Just as he opened his mouth to ask a question, he heard a twig break behind some bushes. Holding his hand out to Elisa, Goliath quickly faced the location of the noise and said, "Who is there?" 

As Goliath and Elisa stared into the gloom, a figure slowly emerged from its hiding place in the shadows. 

"Coyote?" Elisa asked in a puzzled voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd been captured." 

"Talika, it's good to see you made it safely," Coyote exclaimed in a breathless voice. 

"I thought that all had been captured," Goliath said suspiciously as he looked over the figure before them. The fey before them looked exactly like the trickster: the same leather jacket and jeans combo. Plus, he sounded the same -- exactly like Elisa Maza's father when he was young. 

"I escaped before Rastone could bind me as he did my brothers and sisters," Coyote explained quickly, all the while throwing anxious glances over his shoulder. 

"Coyote, who's Rastone?" Elisa asked, as she put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eye. 

"I don't know who exactly, except that he's the guy that's managed to capture the Lord and Lady of Avalon, along with all of my siblings," Coyote said, giving Elisa the most serious stare a trickster fey could ever give. 

"Coyote, I need you to tell me how many are with him," Elisa said slowly, not allowing his gaze to travel elsewhere. This was beginning to worry her. If this Rastone was capable of making the Weird Sisters and Coyote so frightened, then he couldn't be good news. 

"No one.. that's the worst part. He's managed to do everything all by himself." 

"What?" Goliath rumbled in surprise, stepping back unconsciously. 

"I'm serious. Look, I was off on the other side of the island catching up on old times with Anansi, when all of a sudden Banshee came ripping into our clearing. In that loud wailing voice, she told us that some stranger had appeared in the middle of the courtyard while the Weird Sisters were helping Titania with her flowers. Titania and the sisters sensed an unusual magic about him, but before they could really do anything, the person said that he had already trapped Oberon and most of the children were soon to follow. He told them that he was called Rastone and that he had come from a planet far away from our own. He said that he was going to conquer our planet and become its ruler. Rastone decided to start with Avalon because he had been observing our planet for awhile and decided that our magic would cause him the most trouble. Then he started blasting away at Titania and the sisters. It took all they had just to hold him back. Then, one of his pot shots got through their defenses and threw Titania to the ground. Just as Rastone was about to entrap Titania, one of my braver siblings stepped in and tried to help. While Rastone was distracted, Titania told the Weird Sisters to seek you out and get help and then sent them to the mortal world. While Banshee watched, Titania was then sealed into a magical bind, almost like a sphere. Banshee fled to find help and stumbled upon us. But even before we could start working on a plan, Rastone came into the clearing and captured Anansi and Banshee, I was lucky enough to flee. I've been hiding out ever since.. what can I do to aid you Talika?" Coyote finished, his eyes glinting with an unsaid fear that he felt deep within himself. 

Elisa understood perfectly... Coyote had to watch as his brothers and sisters were captured before his eyes, unable to help out or doing anything to stop it. "Coyote, you've already done enough. Right now, I'm going to send you to the mortal world..." 

"But Oberon's law forbids any of his children to travel there without his permission," Coyote broke in, fear entering his eyes at the thought of breaking Oberon's rules. 

"Listen, it's okay. Oberon will understand. Anyway, I'm sending you to the mortal world for one purpose.. I want you to find my family. Dad may be surprised to see you, but you needn't explain why you're there. Stay there and protect them to the best of your abilities.. please," Elisa pleaded. 

"I've always watched over Peter before, I'd be delighted to do so now, Lady Talika," Coyote said with a formal bow to Elisa. 

"Good. Now that we've got that settled," Elisa said quietly. If she didn't succeed, than at least she knew that she'd have taken care of her families as best as she could. Puck and the sisters would watch over the clan to their death, as well as the Xanatos family. Also, she knew that Coyote would protect her family to his death. "If you want, it may be a wise idea to transport Mom, Dad, Beth, Derrick, the Labyrinth clan, and my partner, Matt Bluestone, to the Aerie building. There, you'll have the support of the sisters and Puck." 

Nodding his head, Coyote silently agreed to her plan. "Together we'll make our stand against Rastone if needed." 

"Good. Now, let's send you to where you're needed," Elisa said as she raised her hands above her head. As her eyes glowed an eerie green, Talika began her chant. "Forces of nature bend to my need, send my friend to where I heed. Avalon ce n'est pas where he is needed, mais the island of Manhattan is where his path is leading." 

Covering his eyes, Goliath waited patiently for the winds to die down and for the bright afterimage to leave his eyes. Taking a chance, he lifted one eyelid slightly and peeked out. Seeing Elisa giving him a bemused look, Goliath quickly snapped both eyes open and blushed slightly. "If you had to constantly look at the light you give off, you would be closing your eyes too," he huffed defensively. 

Smiling, Elisa looked up into the night sky and said, "So Big Guy, care to fly us to the palace?" 

Happy that she wasn't going to tease him more, Goliath walked over and lifted her easily into his arms, her white dress soft against his skin. Hanging on to her with one hand, Goliath quickly sunk his talons into one of the nearby trees and began to climb. When he reached a suitable height, he launched himself into the night air, wings spread to their full length and quickly caught an updraft into the night. As he turned in the direction Elisa pointed, he asked, "So, what is our plan?" 

"Uh, plan?" Elisa asked, looking at her love with a false look of innocence. 

"There is no plan?" 

"Well, I figured that since we're both dealing with something new to both of us that we'd just land and play things by ear." 

"So there is no plan." 

"Well, I have the general idea down.. we go in there and I use my magic to take care of Rastone." 

"And you think this plan will work?" Goliath asked sadly, his voice dropping a notch in pitch. 

"Don't worry Goliath, I can handle this guy," Elisa said softly, trying to convince herself at the same time as Goliath. "Remember, I have twice the power of Titania or Oberon." 

"I just hope that is enough," Goliath muttered quietly. 

"Hey," Elisa said softly. As she unhooked her hands from around his large neck, she planted them on Goliath's face, which was looking directly ahead, and turned it till he faced her. "Goliath, be very careful... I don't want to lose you. Just remember that I will always love you. Remember my love, for it's been there since the beginning of time." 

"You only met me two years ago," Goliath gently chided. It was so unlike Elisa to exaggerate so. 

"I've known of my love for you since 1020 B.C., Goliath. My love has always been there, and not once has it faltered. I love you." 

Goliath stared at her in amazement. _1020 B.C.? But I wasn't even born till the tenth century... if Elisa is telling the truth, which she always does, then she's known of me for over three thousand years... over two thousand years before I was even born_, Goliath thought to himself. It was almost too much for his brain to comprehend. Unfortunately, his questions would have to wait because there before them was the castle, torches burning brightly along the walls. It looked deserted. 

"Good, we're here," Elisa said, her voice turning hard and business like. "Let's land down in the courtyard and figure out where to go from there." 

Doing as asked, Goliath glided silently down to the courtyard. Setting Elisa down gently, he could only stare in amazement at the sight before him. Scattered here and there around the courtyard were statues of gargoyles. "The eggs," he gasped in horror. Then, his fears were confirmed when he saw a statue of Princess Katherine and Guardian Tom. Walking slowly over to the pair, he found the statue of Tom standing in front of the princess, as if he was trying to protect the princess from something. Carefully, Goliath ran a talon softly over the smooth curves of the stone. His quiet reverie was broken by a hand laid softly on his shoulder. Turning, he found Elisa behind him, an understanding look on her face as she took in the horror. 

"Don't worry Goliath, I'll bring them back when this is all over. Right now, though, we need to go," she said, nodding her head towards the grand entrance to the castle. Nodding, Goliath followed his love into the castle, unsure as to when they would find their next surprise. 

Unfortunately, they didn't have to look very far, for right beyond the door to the castle, in the Great Hall, they found Oberon's children. All of the assorted fae were sealed in their own bright sphere, assorted looks of horror, fear, and surprise frozen on their faces. It was like they were in suspended animation, frozen in one act or another. Elisa and Goliath only gave them a quick glance before continuing on their way into the bowels of the castle. 

"Shouldn't you try and free the fae? We could use their help," Goliath whispered to his love as they started climbing a stone staircase. 

"I can't break any of the fields until he himself is gone. Don't ask how I know, I can just sense it," Elisa whispered back. 

"Well where are we going?" 

"The throne room... it seems the most logical place that Rastone would be. I didn't see Oberon or Titania back there, so he must be holding them in there." 

Nodding his head, Goliath followed his love once more as she lead the way through the twisting and turning hallways of the castle, following a trail that only she could see. Finally, their walking ended as they emerged into the grand throne room of Avalon. The sight was one that neither thought that they'd ever see. Beside the two thrones on a raised dais stood the frozen figures of Oberon and Titania. Oberon's face was frozen with a look of anger and horror upon his face, while Titania had only a look of sadness and pain. You could see that neither would be happy campers when they awakened. They were both sad to see that the room was not empty besides their friends. Sitting in Oberon's throne was a being like Goliath had never seen before. It could be no other than Rastone. 

He was basically humanoid in appearance, only instead of the usual assortment of skin tones, his was a dark red, the color of blood. Instead of oval eyes, Rastone had the eyes of a serpent, slanting up with yellow irises. For clothing, he was covered in black robes of a silk like material. To make it worse, he was staring right at them. Without hesitation, Elisa stepped fully into the room, Goliath following behind her. 

"Ah, so Talika, the protector of the humans and her gargoyle love has finally arrived," Rastone said in a low voice as he clasped his hands together, his sight never wavering from Talika's face. 

Talika blinked in surprise before speaking, "So you know of me. How is this so?" 

"I got the information that you would be coming from one of the magic weilders before I captured him in my sphere." 

"I see... unfortunately, I cannot return the favor, for I have never heard of you, Rastone," Talika said coldly, staring him down. 

"I'm a traveler, and I have been watching your world for quite some time. It would be unlikely that you would know of me," he said in a condescending manner. 

Sighing as though she was bored, Talika said, "Look, as far as I'm concerned, you're pondscum. So, Troll, can we get this over with? I have appointments elsewhere that I'd like to keep." 

With a roar at the insult just delivered, Rastone stood up quickly, his yellow eyes turning a deep blue color. As his hands began to glow, Goliath quickly turned to Talika. Not surprisingly, her eyes were now glowing the greenish tinge of the fae, her hands at her side crackling with green energy. Goliath didn't have to have magical ability to feel the magical energies building in the room. Moving slowly, Goliath began to edge around the room towards Rastone. If the need arose, he would jump Rastone, hopefully giving Talika the time she needed to do her thing. 

Suddenly, Goliath jumped back in surprise as Talika and Rastone let out a volley of magic at the same time, the two colors meeting in the middle. It was like any classic magical fighting scene Goliath had read in a number of books, the magics meeting in the middle and moving forward and backwards as it tried to beat back the opposing magical energies. Overcoming his shock, Goliath continued edging around the walls, drawing closer and closer to his destination. Another look at the fight in the room brought hope to his chest as he saw that his help may not be needed after all. The war was still waging, and the effort used by both was obvious. Rastone was now on his knees on the raised dais, his hands still raised in front of him as he blasted his unending stream of magic. Talika too, was showing the distress of the battle. She was still standing firm, but now beads of sweat were seen dotted along her brow, and her skin had taken on a paler shade of color. Still, it was obvious to Goliath that Talika was winning the battle. Where before there was a connecting stream of magic, one half green and the other the dark blue, now the connecting magic was about three fourths green, and only a quarter blue. Slowly but surely, Talika was pushing his magic back, beating him in the process.. she was stronger than Rastone. 

Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, Goliath continued edging along. Then, for some strange reason, Goliath had an overwhelming feeling to look up. Doing so, his gaze focused on Rastone, who was now looking directly at Goliath. 

Smiling evilly, while keeping the stream of magic going with one hand, Rastone quickly swung his other hand in Goliath's direction. Before Goliath could move a muscle, he felt the magic fly forth till it surrounded him in glowing chains, making him float five to six feet off the ground. To his horror, the chains began to tighten around his chest. Gasping, Goliath could do nothing as he was slowly crushed to death. 

Still, while the being conducted this torture on Goliath, he was also maintaining the stream. Although, with some of his magic diverted, Talika started to push her magic faster and faster towards him, all the while completely unaware of the battle between Goliath and Rastone, being so caught up in the magic. 

Suddenly, Rastone's voice rang out through the room, "Relinquish your magical assault on me, Talika!" 

"And why would I do that?" Talika ground out as she pushed at the opposing magic harder than ever. This was the hardest fight she had ever been involved in. Here she couldn't rely on her fighting ability or her gun, now it was all self control and will power. Gritting her teeth, she pushed harder, feeling her power push beyond his capabilities. 

"Because if you do not relent your strike, I shall destroy your gargoyle love," Rastone yelled out, tilting his head in Goliath's direction. 

"What?" Elisa asked quickly in amazement, letting her control and concentration lax slightly as she glanced in the indicated direction. There she saw Goliath suspended in chains, being crushed to death. "Stop! What are you doing?" Elisa yelled out. Quickly she stopped her attack on him, allowing a stale mate of sorts. She still had their energy forces connected, only now she wasn't pushing his back, but merely holding her ground. 

"If you stop your attack on me, I'll let your love live.. if not, then you shall watch him die." 

"But then you'll be dead!" Elisa pointed out quickly. 

"Then I shall take him to the grave with me!" 

"If I stop, then you'll win and conquer the world..." Elisa murmured. 

"Yes, but your love will still be alive," Rastone reasoned. 

"Goliath?" Elisa asked, looking into the face of her beloved. How could she sit there and watch her love be killed before her eyes. After all the centuries and millenniums she had waited for him, now she had to watch him die after only experiencing his love for two measly years? Looking up, she found Goliath looking at her sadly. Sweat lined his face and he gasped in agony. He was being crushed to death. Still, he managed to find the energy to speak.

"I'm sorry," Goliath rasped, pain etched on his face. If only he had stayed back and out of the way…

"Shh.. it's not your fault," Elisa whispered, tears dripping down her face. 

"Elisa, you have to destroy him." 

"But Goliath, I can't let you die!" Elisa said as tears dripped down her face. How many times did she have to be placed in this position? What, it had to be at least twice in the last couple months that she was put in this position.. but in all of those other cases, there had always been a way out... she didn't see one this time. "I love you Goliath, I can't let you die!" 

"Elisa, you are the protector of the human race..." Goliath gasped, as the chains tightened another notch. "You cannot trade a race for me..."

"Yes I can, a whole race was created for just you before! I can't let you die now! No, Goliath, I can't.. I love you too much!" she cried, the tears pouring unchecked down her cheeks. Why did life have to be so unfair? 

"It's your job as the protector.. you must protect them! Think about it Elisa, is this the fate you shall resign Angela, the clan, your parents, Beth and Derrick too?" 

"Your love will die if you do this!" Rastone yelled, seeing that the gargoyle was actually starting to convince the woman. 

As the tears ran down Elisa's face, she knew that Goliath was right. The entire reason she was created was to protect the human kind... she'd be going against her whole purpose in life to do otherwise. Her job was costing her the life of the one she held most dear to her heart. "I'm sorry Goliath," Elisa sobbed, never breaking her magical stalemate. As she closed her eyes against the sight, Elisa continued her magical assault. Keeping her eyes closed, she felt her magic drawing nearer towards the evil being. Still, that could do nothing to keep out the sounds that greeted her ears. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block out the sounds of the grinding chains as they tightened around Goliath's torso. Nor could she block out the sound of Goliath's agonized roar as his bones snapped like twigs and as he began to bleed internally. Elisa couldn't stand the sounds any longer. Sobbing brokenly, Elisa squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could bring her hands to her ears to block out the sound. _God, make it stop!!!_ Elisa yelled in her head. Screaming along with her love, Elisa yelled out at the unfairness of it all, the pressure and pain of her broken heart building in her chest till she thought she would burst. 

She was right, for suddenly everything building in her chest burst with a wild charge of immense magic that shot throughout her line. She felt her link extend until it was suddenly broken off. Opening her eyes, Elisa screamed to the world, her tears falling as though they'd never stop. Looking across, she saw the wasted corpse of Rastone, nothing more than ashes after her magic was finished. Gasping for breath, Elisa turned to where she had seen Goliath dangling in the air. Now all she saw was a huddled form lying brokenly on the stone floor. Running, Elisa tripped over the long material of her dress as she ran to her love, dropping by his side. As the tears flowed down, Elisa slowly turned Goliath over. Looking at him, she saw that he looked the same as ever, but Elisa was not fooled for she knew that the real damage was inside his body, where all of his organs and bones had been squeezed into one. Crying, she leaned over and brushed his lips with hers.  
  
"Remember my love." 

Gasping, Elisa leaned forward and realized that the tender words had come from Goliath's own lips. "Goliath, you're still alive!" Elisa yelled happily. 

Coughing, Goliath shook his head slowly as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, the only blood to be seen, coming from the inside out. "I'm.. sorry.. lisa... love you..." he gasped as his blood continued to trickle. 

"No, don't you see Goliath? I can save you yet!" 

"No..." Goliath gasped out. He finally understood through the haze of pain he was feeling what Elisa was talking about. There was still hope for him. Elisa was going to take his agony away and put it into herself. But once Elisa Maza was dead.. there was no going back to that body. Still, Goliath could do nothing but watch. 

"Don't worry, Goliath. I'm not letting you die," Elisa said, a note of delirium in her voice. It was true.. she was not exactly sane or with it at this moment. Who would be after knowing that you almost killed the one you loved.. maybe not directly but inadvertently. Now she had the chance to take back that decision, no matter the consequences. Leaning forward, Elisa placed her hands on Goliath's chest and said, "Forces of magic that I call upon to undo this horrible and mighty wrong. This person before me should not be in pain, so now I take it and thus do contain." Like all the times as in the past, the bright green trail of magic left Elisa's hands and enveloped Goliath's own body. Then, at the height of brightness, the magic drained back into Elisa's own. As Elisa drew her hands away, she lay back slowly on the ground till she was staring up at the marble ceiling high above. Then the magic began to do its work on her. Biting her lip, Elisa tried her best not to cry out as she felt her insides be squeezed together until it must not have been more than a bloody pulp. Then, the glorious sight of her love's face filled her vision. From far away, she heard him whisper something, his voice full of tears. 

"Oh Elisa, what have you done?"

"I.. love.. you..." Elisa choked out, the blood now dripping from her own mouth. Soon, her vision began to darken as her love's face floated away. _Don't worry Goliath_, Elisa thought to herself, no longer capable of forming words. _I've done this before.. I've died many times before._

"Oh Elisa, I love you so much..." she heard from miles away. "The pain will be over soon. We'll be together then...." 

"I love you," was the last thing Elisa heard as her mind disconnected from the body she inhabited and as her heart beat its final rhythm. Elisa Maza died. 

Looking down, Goliath held Elisa's hand as it squeezed his own, her eyes searching for his own. Soon, her eyes stopped searching and her hand grew limp in his. Reaching down, Goliath closed her eyes gently, not wanting to look into her dark brown eyes when they were so vacant. She was dead.. Elisa was really gone. There was nothing that could bring her back. As the tears flowed down his cheeks, Goliath picked up her limp body and cradled it in his arms. Even now her skin was growing cooler as the blood on her lips dried. The pain was too much.. the pain growing in his chest was unbearable. Unable to hold it in any longer, Goliath let out a heart wrenching roar, and then sobbed brokenly as he held his love. Nothing more than a broken doll... 

As the light cleared, Talika found herself sitting once more in the green grassy meadows of the halfway point between life and death. Picking some of the green grass before her, Elisa idly watched the flowers bend in the light breeze, her own hair and white dress shifting back and forth in the warmth. Looking into the blue sky, Talika realized what she had given up.. the identity of Elisa Maza.. and therefore her love. Goliath was forever lost to her now. The rules of the game were that she couldn't return to a body once it died... she could never again be Elisa Maza. Her family, friends, the clan, Goliath -- it was all lost to her forever. She never had lost so much with death before as she had now. What was she to do now? Pick another mortal life to lead, one away from her loved ones, was the usual choice. "No!" Talika sobbed, dropping her head into her hands. "I don't want to leave them all behind!" 

Suddenly, the breeze shifted. Curious, Talika tilted her head up. Standing there before her was The Creator. 

"What is wrong, my child?" The Creator asked, laying a gentle hand upon her shoulder. 

"I have died," Talika explained quietly. 

"But my protector, you have died many times before.. why do you cry now?" 

"My love has finally come to me, and I had to leave him behind.. for the rest of eternity," Talika said sadly, the tears dripping down her cheeks. 

"How so?" 

"By our own rules, once a mortal body has died, you can never make a new one or return to that life... I can never return to the body of Elisa Maza, meaning I can never have her life or my love." 

"Ah, I see," The Creator said slowly. 

Shaking her head, Talika continued to sob brokenly, hiding her face in her hands. "Why must my life always be so unfair? Creator, you gave Titania Oberon and Oberon Titania... yet I have no one. You answered my prayers by sending me word of Goliath, but now must I leave him? Now must I be alone for the rest of eternity, never to know of this love again?" Talika asked, raising her head to look at her master. 

Sighing, The Creator settled beside her. It didn't try to pat her back or comfort her in any way, for although it was love in and of itself, that wasn't its way. Its creations must deal with their own pain and solve their own problems, without it giving more than advice and ideas. As it looked into the bright, cloudless blue sky, it allowed the wind to pass over and through them. Paradise, plain and simple. This place was more perfect than Avalon could ever be... it was its home. Deciding to break the silence, it said, "Talika, you know that you have always been my favorite creation... why would I want to hurt you like this? Surely you must have learned something from your fae kin?" 

"What?" Talika asked, taking her hands away from her eyes and turning them to her mentor. In no time, the warm sun dried her wet face. 

"All rules that cannot be broken can surely be bent." 

"How so?" Elisa asked, a glint lighting up in her eyes. 

"Is it not so that the body you inhabited was a replica of your own?" 

"Well, yes.. it was an exact copy." 

"Was your voice the same?" 

"Yes.. maybe my speech and accent were a little different, but it was mainly the same." 

"So why don't you return to the mortal world in your own body, not taking on one of a mortal, and take up the life of Elisa Maza and her name?" The Creator asked while it began toying with the long strands of grass. 

"I wish it were as simple as that, but Elisa is known to be dead," Talika pointed out, her mind spinning as it tried to come up with a solution to her problem. 

"Is she? By who?" The Creator asked casually, in a way that gave Talika the impression that it knew exactly who and was just doing this to allow her to see the answer for herself. 

"Well, Goliath saw me die," Talika pointed out. 

"And no one else knows of this?" 

"No," Talika hedged, unsure as to what it was getting at. 

"Cannot Goliath be trusted with your secret?" 

"Of course he can! I'd trust Goliath with my life," Talika insisted firmly, viciously yanking the strand of grass she had been playing with out of the ground by the roots. 

"Well, there you go. You can still have your love and the mortal's life," The Creator said simply as though the problem had been solved. 

"It would never work! I mean, what's everyone going to think when they start aging and growing older while I never do?" 

"That would be a problem... but it would at least give you another four or five years before everyone began to wonder, more time with your loved ones." 

"But would that be better? I'd have to leave them then, which would just delay the hurt I'm feeling now. I'd still be without Goliath." 

"Not if you tied Goliath to yourself." 

"What?" Talika asked in disbelief. The Creator couldn't be serious, or was it? 

"If I've heard correctly, didn't some of Titania and Oberon's mortal/immortals cast a spell on some of your mortals, where one feels the other's pain?" 

"Yes.. but how would that work with me?" 

"Simple, my child... change the spell around so that you two are forever linked. You will feel his pain, to a lesser extent of course, and he with you. Because you are immortal and can never die, he will never die as well. You'll be linked to the end of time. Is this what you want?" 

Talika's eyes were aglow with a new found hope. "I couldn't ask for anything more. But what if Goliath comes bitter towards me, like MacBeth with Demona? He would never be able to pass away if he chose." 

"Child, child, you should know that it'd be no problem adding a little side note to the spell so that you can take him out of the spell whenever you so choose." 

"It could work," Talika breathed, a smile lighting up her face as she stared off into her own little world. It seemed as though she was staring at the never ending hills of green, but The Creator knew that it was into her own memories she looked. 

"If that is all, I suggest that you get back to your love before he has to suffer any longer," The Creator said quietly, breaking Talika from her reverie. 

"You're right, Creator. I shall follow your advice.... thank you." 

"My pleasure Talika. I am always here to serve you. One more thing before I go... this time, make sure you cast the spell before he is almost killed." 

Smiling, Talika nodded in agreement as she watched The Creator disappear into the green. Getting to her feet, Talika cast one final look around her. It would probably be quite some time before she inhabited a mortal body that could die... quite some time before she would again see the beauty of this place. Maybe in the far future she would take one once more, and Goliath and her could live side by side in a world without such prejudices. Her race and the race she created could do it... it would only take time, the thing that she had plenty of. Grinning even bigger, Talika raised her hands above her head and chanted. "Take me to my place of death, which shall now be my place of birth..." 

As the green flash disappeared, the wind continued unheeded through the long grass, peace prevailing. 

Avalon, Throne Room -- ten minutes later 

As Talika appeared in the throne room, she noted that not much had happened since her abrupt departure. Oberon and Titania were still frozen in spheres of magic, their appearance unchanged. Also, there were still the ashes marking what was once Rastone. Over by the side of the circular room was the place where she had died. There, she saw Goliath sitting on his knees, her corpse cradled in his arms. The body looked horrible. The skin was now turning a grayish color, a smear of dried blood on the corner of her mouth. "Goliath?" she asked softly, quietly stepping closer. 

Quickly, Goliath whirled about, the corpse still in his arms. There behind him was a sight he thought he'd never see again... it was Elisa, well, Talika.. looking just as normal as ever. Confused, he looked down into his arms and found his beloved's corpse. "What? I... I don't understand," Goliath stammered, looking back and forth between the two. "Are you a ghost?" 

"No, Goliath. It's me, Talika." 

"Talika? But.. I thought..." 

"Come here, Goliath," Talika pleaded, tears in her eyes. Nodding, Goliath gently laid the body on the floor and stepped closer. Very hesitantly, Goliath reached out a claw. When it encountered only soft, warm skin, Goliath let out a cry of joy and quickly gathered her into his arms. As his wings folded around her, Goliath lay his head upon her soft hair and squeezed tighter, vowing to never let her go. 

"Goliath," Talika pleaded, "can't breathe!" 

Laughing with joy, Goliath let her go and looked deep into Talika's eyes. "What happened? I thought I had lost you?" 

"Goliath, it wasn't me who died. I'm immortal, remember?" she asked slowly, concern lighting up her face. 

"Yes but, where did you go? And who's that?" Goliath asked, pointing a talon at the body laying on the floor only a few feet away. 

"Someone did die, but it wasn't me. The body of Elisa Maza did die, there was nothing I could do to stop it... 

"But.. no! Don't tell me that you're leaving! I love you, no matter if you're Elisa or Talika!" 

"I know Goliath, and I love you just as much. Look, the only way that I can possibly be with you is for me to return to this world in my own body." 

"Your own body?" 

"The body that you hugged and touched was nothing more than a costume that I donned. Usually my costume would look nothing like myself, but this time it was an exact replica," Talika explained. 

As the confusion cleared from his eyes, Goliath's smile widened. "Then you are returning to me! If your body looks the same, then you'll just take up her life with your own body!" 

"That's right Goliath, but there's a few problems," Talika said, cupping his head in her hands. Of course, in order to do this, Talika had to stand on her tip-toes. "Goliath, because I am immortal, I'll never age beyond what I am right now. I can never die either. If I'm in a situation where I'll be hurt or killed, then I'll have to leave in order to spare my family the pain and confusion. In five to six years I'll have to leave also, by then people will begin to wonder why my body is not aging." 

"No, I will not allow you to leave me once more," Goliath said firmly. He had lost her too many times already, and he couldn't do it again! "I want you to be with me till the end of time!" Goliath pleaded, not being able to help the slight whining tone that entered his voice. 

"That's exactly what I want.. which is why I want to do something for you. I want to cast a spell that will link us, much in the same way of MacBeth and Demona. Because I can't die, neither will you. We'll be together till the end of time, or until you decide that you are ready to leave me." 

"Why would I want to leave you?" Goliath asked in a puzzled voice. "We could go on to the next world together." 

"Goliath, you don't understand. I am the protector of the humans, like you pointed out earlier. That means that I can't leave them under any circumstances. If you were to travel on to the next world, I would not be able to join you. I will _never_ be able to die." 

Shaking his head quickly, Goliath hugged her to him once more, vowing to never let go. "I understand. I also want to do this." 

"Are you sure Goliath? Do you realize what you'd be giving up? Once those five to six years are up, you'd have to leave the clan forever." 

"We'll see about that when the time comes. As for the deadline, the clan wouldn't get suspicious of my not aging for ten to twelve years. Don't forget that gargoyles age at half the speed of humans." 

"Touché," Talika said, a smile on her face. 

"Talika, if it means spending the rest of eternity with you, I would pay any price!" 

Smiling at his words, Talika felt a single tear burn at her eye -- a tear of love. "Okay Goliath, here it goes," she said, her heart warming at his words of her love. Closing her eyes, she raised her hands above her head, the white dress she wore rustling in the sudden breeze. "Magics of creation granted to me, hear my plea and do as I command. Across the mists of space and time, I pose this covenant sublime. The Creator hath granted his permission to link us as one till the end of time. While he with fang and claw and wing doth swear, sweet love shall we forever know. By our acceptance we are confined unto each other's fates; aligned forever an eternal vow and each the others pain resound. The pact is made and my work is done, make our love eternally spun." 

With the final words spoken, the whirlwind of green magic that had surrounded them finally ceased and settled into nothingness. As Talika opened her eyes, she was faced with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen: Goliath. "How are you big guy?" 

Opening his eyes, Goliath looked around the room carefully before replying, "I feel no different." 

"Well, if you don't believe me that it worked, you can always kill yourself and see what happens... personally, I don't recommend it. If I were you, I'd just take my word that you are now immortal." 

Smiling, Goliath nodded in agreement. 

"Um, Goliath? Is it okay if I get rid of that?" Talika asked, indicating the corpse of Elisa Maza lying on the floor behind them. "It's giving me the creeps, even worse than Delilah ever could!" 

Looking over his shoulder, Goliath noticed the body, having put it completely from his mind. "Gladly," he said disdainfully. 

Smiling, Talika pointed her hand at the body and with a poof of green smoke, it disappeared. 

"So, are you going to do anything about them?" Goliath asked, indicating the king and queen of Avalon. 

Sighing, Talika said, "I suppose you're right." Closing her eyes once more, the winds began to stir as Talika lifted her hands above her head. "The magic of Avalon shall always prevail.. as stated in Oberon's decree, all magic not of this origin shall vanish from thee. The force of Rastone shall not be seen for the rest of eternity!" Opening her eyes, Talika was relieved to see Oberon and Titania sitting on the floor, a look of confusion on their faces. 

As Titania looked up from her position, she locked eyes with Talika and said, "Ah, I see that the Sisters succeeded in summoning you from the mortal world. Any trouble?" 

"Nothing that I couldn't handle," Talika said casually, effectively hiding the anxiety of the past events. Then she lifted her hand and indicated the pile of ashes in front of Oberon's throne. "Oh, and I left you guys a mess too." 

"So I see," Oberon said as he nudged the pile with his toe. Then, as if his senses picked up something, he quickly looked at Talika and Goliath. "Why Talika, you're in your body? And what has happened to Goliath?" Staring closer, he stepped back in surprise, "You linked him with yourself? Did you have The Creator's permission to do this?" 

"Very astute my friend," Talika said quietly as her eyes lowered to the ground. "The battle didn't go as smoothly as I said... I had to forfeit the body of Elisa Maza in order to save Goliath. While in the midway point, I talked with The Creator and asked his permission to link Goliath to myself. Please, call me Elisa." 

"But you can't expect to go back to Elisa's life, Talika," Titania insisted. "That's against the rules.." 

"But rules that can't be broken can be bent, Anastasia" Elisa said, a smile on her face. 

"How true, Elisa Maza," Titania said, a smile on her face. 

Placing a hand on Goliath's shoulder, Elisa said, "Come on Big Guy, let's go home." 

Nodding his head in agreement, Goliath held onto Elisa's tiny shoulders, preparing for the return trip. Once more the winds began and the green mist surrounded them. As it cleared, Goliath was relieved to find himself standing on the highest tower of the castle. Looking to the east, Goliath saw that he had maybe fifteen minutes before dawn would come. Turning to Elisa, he was surprised to see her glowing green once more. Before he could get a question out, all of the green energy discharged down into the castle below. "What did you do?" 

"Well, I sent the sisters and Coyote back to Avalon, turned Puck back into Owen, returned my family, the Labyrinth clan, and Matt back to where they should be, while erasing all of their memories along with the Xanatos family and the clan's memories of this incident." 

"I see," Goliath murmured, surprised at all she had accomplished in such a short time. Then, to her surprise and delight he then enveloped her in a warm hug, wrapping his wings tightly around her. Holding her close, he then laid his head on the top of hers, breathing in the sweet scent of her long black hair. "I love you, Elisa." 

"I love you, Goliath," Elisa whispered back, finally at peace in her heart. 

As Goliath broke the embrace, he tilted Elisa's head up till he was looking into her dark eyes and said, "What did you mean that you knew of me for so long?" 

"Oh boy," Elisa muttered as she broke his grip and moved to sit on one of the bricks on the parapet. She hadn't really wanted to get into this just now.. but what better time than the present? "Okay. As you know, I have been alone for so very long... I began to feel very depressed... I didn't want to go on. Then, The Creator sent me visions of a time when I wouldn't have to be alone any longer... he sent me visions in 1020 B.C. of now, of you. It was because of those visions that I created the gargoyles.. so I could have your love. The knowledge of your love was the only thing that kept me going all these decades. Goliath, the gargoyles were created for you.. I love you!" Elisa said, tears dripping down her face. 

"I'm so sorry, Elisa," Goliath said sadly as he knelt beside her. "I had no idea of the trials you've had to face, but why are you crying now? We are together and will be till the end of time." 

"Because I'm so happy!" Elisa laughed as she wrapped her arms around him. Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed Goliath. This was no simple kiss and soon they had their arms wrapped around each other. 

When the kiss finally ended, Goliath looked up in surprise and said, "Elisa, the sun!" There before him was the most glorious and beautiful thing he had ever seen... the sun rising before him. Looking at the glorious shades of red, orange, pink, and yellow, Goliath casually glanced below and was surprised to see the clan on the lower parapet, all in stone. He had never seen any of his kind as they slept before. Turning, he looked at Elisa and saw a large smile on her face. 

"I can't give you the world, Big Guy.. but I can give you the sun." 

Goliath didn't know what to say. Never before had anyone ever given him such a glorious gift as this. Walking forward, Goliath once more encircled Elisa in his arms and said, "I love you."

**THE END**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	6. New Beginnings -- Part One

New Beginnings Part One

**"New Beginnings -- Part One"**  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 8/20/98

Revised on: 7/20/98

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney while some of the words used within are taken from "An den Mond" (To the Moon) and "Wenn ich ein Vögel wär" (If I a Bird Could Be), two German folk songs that were arranged by William Bausano. In no way will a profit be made from this.

Author's Note: This story is the fifth installment to the Talika Series and a thanks to Skydancer for some of the quotes used within. 

Brief Summary: The forgotten past is about to resurface its ugly head for Talika and the clan.

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

**_Decisions_**

Imagine the day when the world finally does come to and end. 

Imagine the feelings of sorrow, courage, despair, fright, hatred, and love that will be felt by the general populous in their final days before imminent death. 

Now imagine the sobs of a young mother who listens to her lonely baby's wail as she realizes for the first time that there will be no tomorrow or future for her child -- no chance. 

Now watch as an aging man sacrifices his life by shoving a young boy out of the path of a speeding car, knowing all the while that the boy will be dead by nightfall but not caring because he knows that any time is better than none. 

And now watch as a middle aged man with a loving family at home is so filled with despair that he purposely throws himself in front of that same speeding car, so eager to end his pain that he can't wait for night to fall on the city. 

And watch as his next door neighbor chooses instead to return to his family to comfort and be comforted in his last moments by his family. 

And listen to an old woman's scream of pain, outrage, and fright as she is first mugged for ten dollars and then senselessly shot by a teenage girl that has lost all respect for the life of others -- knowing that soon she will be joining her innocent victims. 

And now I want you to watch and listen as two desperate individuals find comfort and love in each other's arms -- all the while whispering tear-wrought promises to find each other in the next life -- convinced that the power of their love will conquer all... 

In a world so devastated and filled with pain, it is up to each person to decide how they will live out their final hours: in sorrow, heroics, despair, hatred, or in love. 

Your life is what you make it and only you can decide. 

**_New Beginnings_**

Egypt -- Present Day 

Grunting, the group of hired workers strained to lift the heavy slab of stone that lay imbedded in the soft sand with the aid of pulleys and steel wires. "Pull men, pull!" urged another, standing back from the group in the shade of a tent, protected from the hot desert sun. They had been working this particular site for weeks, searching for yet another lost tomb in the sea of sand that covered Egypt. Weeks and weeks that were spent using up a grant given by one of the larger universities back in the states. Still, Doctor Harold Osborne was convinced that despite the fact that as of yet nothing had been found, that soon they would make a discovery so great as to outshine even the discovery of King Tut's tomb. In all truth, they had to or else the good name of Doctor Osborne would be slain and never again would a grant for research be so easily won. 

With a final grunt of protest, the strong Egyptian workers heaved the large slab up from the ground and swung it away from their dig, causing it to fall heavily to the ground. As the sand and dust flew, workers and archaeologists alike turned away quickly, covering their eyes from the blinding storm. When the sand finally settled, Osborne carefully took his hand away from his face and stepped quickly out of the shade of the tent and towards the dig. There had to be something here -- there had to be. There was no other logical reason; why else would such a large and carefully carved slab be lying out in the middle of the desert? 

When their digging had first uncovered the stone slab, they quickly set to work clearing the sand away from all sides till it was revealed that the slab, which was about nine feet long and about five feet wide, was in fact a lid of some sort covering a stone box of the same dimensions. While his curiosity and excitement grew, the group of experienced archaeologists quickly began digging deeper and deeper until the mystery grew. Now the hole around the stone box was four feet wide and ten feet deep, with no signs of anything but the box that was now ten feet tall. Finally, the decision was made that while the strange writing on the lid, which was also a mystery seeing as how it didn't seem to resemble any sort of writing known to man, continued to be deciphered, the group of hired workers would see if they could remove the lid. Which led up to now. 

With excitement burning in his eyes, Osborne reached the edge of the dig and quickly climbed the ladder down into the hole surrounding the stone box. As the workers quietly stepped aside, Osborne stepped towards the ladder, his knees shaking with every step as he slowly, slowly climbed up the ladder that would lead him to the greatest discovery of all times -- or so he hoped. Seconds later, he reached the top and tentatively looked over the side and into the opened box. 

"Well, Harold, what do you see?!" one of Osborne's fellow archaeologists yelled from the tent, a bright smile on her face. 

"I.. I see a dark hole!" Harold yelled out in confusion as he turned back towards the gathered workers and co-workers. "The stone on top here is only a foot thick on each side, and on the inside it's been smoothed till it feels as smooth as glass," Harold described as he gently rubbed his hand over the smooth stone. "The light of the sun reaches down about ten to fifteen feet and it all looks exactly the same.. I can't see the bottom!" 

"But.." 

"Here, pass me up a rock or some sand!" Osborne called out suddenly as he turned and looked down at one of the workers below. 

Nodding his head, the young Egyptian who was fortunate enough to speak English quickly scavenged the ground and sand till he found a good sized rock and then climbed up the ladder till he stood beneath the Doctor and passed up his find. 

Without another word, Osborne snatched up the rock and returned to the edge of the box. Leaning as far over as he dared, he then hushed for silence before dropping the rock into the box. In the dead silence, everyone listened for the tell tale sound of the rock hitting the bottom.. and waited, and waited. Finally Osborne gave up and turned back to his colleagues with wide eyes. "If we couldn't hear the stone hit the bottom, then this thing must be over a hundred to two hundred feet deep.. probably a couple of miles! But.. that's impossible!" Osborne whispered, the confusion clear in his eyes. "Who would build a stone box like this that's that deep.. and it must be man made because how else could the walls become this smooth or the box this proportional?" he muttered, thinking out loud as he puzzled over the idea. 

"Doctor Osborne! Doctor Osborne!" a young man called out, unaware of the tense silence as he ran past the group of archaeologists, heedless of the happenings around him. 

"What is it, Jeffrey?" Harold absently asked the graduate student that called out to him, his mind still firmly rooted to the mystery of the box. 

"We've got a partial translation of the writing on the..." Jeffrey began, trailing off as he finally noticed the open box. "You got the slab off!" he exclaimed in excitement. 

"You have a translation? But-"

"It turned out that the language is an extremely ancient form of hieroglyphs mixed with a few other languages," the student hastily explained, his wide eyes remaining locked on the open box. "The partial translation reads something like 'Beware all those who try to..' we think that the next word is something like desecrate, 'the resting place of..' and then we don't know about whose it is yet or much else after that. Although it does seem to be warning about evil, genocide, and something about some kind of matter..." the student trailed off, waving his hand airily at the common warnings found on all Egyptian tombs. 

"And that's all?" Osborne asked, scrunching his eyebrows together as the mystery grew. "Well, it must be a tomb then.. but why would it be so incredibly deep?" 

"Maybe it would be better, sir, for you to close up the box and leave it as it was found," the young Egyptian who passed up the stone spoke quietly, his eyes wide with fear. 

"Don't be foolish, young man. All tombs that have been discovered up to date have had some similar warning on their doors-" 

"No sir, there is something different about this tomb, and I suggest that you replace the lid before the evil is let out." 

At this grave warning, both Osborne and the rest of his colleagues burst into laughter. "Young man, I can guarantee you that there is no evil surrounding this mystery here.. if there is anyone down there I can guarantee you that he has been dead for quite a long time," he stated firmly as he turned and once more looked down into the long box. Still, the man's words rang in his ears as he noticed for the first time that the box was now six to seven feet long and three feet wide... the usual proportions of a coffin. As a shiver ran through his aging bones, the Doctor began to turn away from the opening once more when a flash of light from below caught his eye. Gasping, he turned quickly and stared rigidly down into the hole as the light grew brighter and brighter, closer and closer towards him. 

Seeing his rigid posture one of the archaeologists stepped away from the tent and closer towards the hole that surrounded the box. "Harold? What's wrong? What do you see?" she asked, her voice trembling while a cold coil of fear wrapped itself around her spine. 

Unable to answer, Osborne continued to watch with growing fascination and horror as the green light grew brighter in intensity until Harold knew that it was now only a few feet below him. Soon the light and glow was evident for all to see, causing a panic to go up among the workers as they struggled and rushed for the ladders leading out of the pit, sure that the Devil himself was rising out of the pits of Hell to greet them. 

"Harold! Get away!" she screamed as the light grew brighter and brighter.. the green eerie light that had no place in the middle of the desert. As she watched in horror, Harold remained where he was till the glow of light left the box and surrounded him. With a blood curdling scream, he was then lifted into the air above the box until he was laid out flat on his back, floating in mid air. Still screaming bloody Mary, the green light then lowered, taking Doctor Harold Osborne with it, a look of horror fixed upon his face. 

Screaming out, Osborne could do nothing as the green light carried him further and faster down the dimensions of the box, watching the sunlight slip further and further from him till darkness encased him; darkness that was only broken by the eerie green light. Suddenly, seconds, minutes, hours, or days later -- which, he had no idea -- he stopped descending and was laid gently on his back on a cold, stone floor. 

Breathing heavily in the purest form of fright he had ever experienced, Osborne quickly climbed to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. From what he could tell, he seemed to be in some sort of large room with carvings similar to those found on the lid written on all of the stone walls. His curiosity getting the better of him, Osborne moved closer to the walls and attempted to read the hieroglyphics -- which was when another mystery came to life: where was the light coming from that allowed him to inspect these writings? 

Fear growing once more, Harold quickly turned and saw that the source of light seemed to be coming from the far end of the chamber. Not knowing why he did, Osborne began to slowly walk across the chamber, noticing how the floor and walls were unnaturally smooth.. as smooth as glass, and that all of the walls were perfectly straight and perpendicular to the floor. Not even a modern day architect could make such a perfectly dimensional room such as the kind he was walking in.. a room that probably dated back to the earliest times. Shaking his head, Osborne continued walking across the large chamber until finally the light source was revealed: torches. Lit torches lined the walls in this end of the chamber -- perfectly lit torches where there was no breeze to cause them to shift or move... perfectly still flames burning straight up into the air, causing no smoke to cloud and choke him. 

Mystified, Osborne turned once more and saw the real mystery of the chamber: against the far wall of the chamber stood a raised dais with what looked like a stone box that was what seemed to be the perfect dimensions of the interior of the corridor in which he descended. 

"The tomb.. I'm in the tomb and this must be the coffin," Doctor Osborne whispered, his eyes lighting up. All thoughts of escape from this place, the glowing light that brought him down, and of the warning of evil and genocide fled his mind as the blinding curiosity of the past replaced it. Walking across the room, Harold gently laid his hands upon the smooth surface of the coffin, marveling at the intricate writings that lay across the lid. 

As he traced his hands over the top and down the sides, he noticed a seam that marked the end of the lid and the beginning of the actual coffin. Smiling, Osborne began pushing against the lid with all of his strength, all of the rules and procedures of archaeology forgotten as the stone grated further and further until it crashed to the ground, breaking instantly into pieces. Had Harold's attention not been focused on the contents of the tomb but on the lid itself, he would have noticed one final warning.. a gathering of the green energies across the lid until all of the carvings blended into one flickering word: EVIL, before that too disappeared and left the lid bare of anything. 

But Doctor Harold Osborne's focus wasn't on the lid and instead was fixed firmly to the contents of the coffin. Inside lay a body covered by a shroud of white, making the details completely obscure. And on top of the shroud, lying where the chest of the body would be, was a large angel.. or was it an angel? Osborne couldn't tell, because even though it was shaped like an angel, it was like nothing was there. The object was black.. but it wasn't really black either.. it was like the absence of light. All light cast by the torches seemed to be absorbed by the object creating a void of emptiness in the shape of an angel. With shaking hands, Osborne slowly reached out to the object and touched it with one finger.. and was amazed to discover that it had substance. He could feel it and touch it and define its shape with his hands, but he couldn't feel any texture whatsoever. It looked as though he was touching nothing, but it was something because it was outlined by the white shroud. 

Grinning like a fool, the professor slowly reached out both hands until they were gripping the angel firmly. As he then lifted it from the shrouded body, and as the angel finally left its resting place against the cool shroud, a sense of evil so great and pain so powerful overwhelmed Osborne and wrapped itself around his belly. It was then that the last word of his student's warning came to mind.. came to mind too late. The lid on the surface had warned not to touch some sort of matter.... now the Professor knew what it was referring to.. dark matter. The dark matter that was the last and only defense against the evil that should never be released. 

And then, as the shrouded body lifted itself with its own strength from the coffin -- the body that should have been dead after being laid to rest here for centuries.. millenniums -- Doctor Harold Osborne cursed himself and all the workers who helped to unleash this evil... the last thought that Doctor Harold Osborne ever knew. 

New York City -- two months later 

As the doors slid open to accommodate the flow of people entering and leaving the busy airport, a young woman parted from the crowd to stand alone on a small piece of sidewalk. Turning around in circles, the girl stared in wide-eyed amazement at the towering piles of steel that stretched farther up than the clouds, the roaring traffic, and the crowds of people. Sure, she had seen the crowded city of Paris before, but absolutely nothing -- not the pictures or the news reports -- could prepare her for the large -- no, huge buildings that imposed over the busy streets of Manhattan. 

"Skyscrapers," the young woman whispered quietly to herself, her musical voice trying out the unfamiliar word. Then, shaking her amazement away, she focused on the question at hand. "Now, where to?" she said quietly as she once more scanned the busy streets. "I have to find the gargoyle clan," she murmured as she waved her hand in the air. Not even a moment passed before a taxi squealed to a halt beside her. Opening the door, the young woman quickly hopped into the back seat. 

"Where to?" the cab driver asked as he peered at his new customer through his rear view mirror. 

"To the 23rd precinct Police Station," the young woman murmured as she stared out the window at the tall building of the airport. 

Nodding his head, the guy quickly swerved back into the flow of traffic. Glancing back over his shoulder at the beautiful young woman, the cab driver finally fully took in his new customer. She looked to be in her early twenties, with long pale blond hair that fell in a straight wave down her back. She was of average height, about 5'7" with a slim frame that was modestly covered under a baggy pair of blue jeans and a white tee-shirt. Her skin was tanned, and as the woman glanced in his direction he saw the most brilliant pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. With the backpack that she clenched to her side, she could easily have passed for another college student. But he knew better than that. "So, you're French?" 

Startled out of her reverie, the young woman met the cab driver's kind gaze and said, "How did you know?" 

"When you drive a cab as long as I have, you become pretty good at picking out accents," he explained casually as he zipped through the heavy traffic. 

"Ah yes, I am from the province of Bretagne in France." 

"Oh.. well, what's your name, sweetheart?" 

Inwardly cringing at the pet name, the woman offered a tentative smile before saying, "My name is Lisette." 

"Just call me Harry," he said as he honked the horn at another cab that cut him off. "So, what ya doing in New York City... to the 23rd precinct, no less? Did ya know that some crackpots blew that place up about a month ago?" 

"Yes, I heard," Lisette replied simply. 

"I mean, they've got the place workin' again, but what ya want there? You can't be more than a teeny bopper!" 

"Nineteen, actually," Lisette interrupted. 

"Ah, you probably want to meet the gargoyles that lived there, huh?" he probed. 

"You could say that," Lisette agreed as her mind drifted back to that day two weeks ago. 

She had been in a small cafe, reading a novel, when a news report caught her eye. Putting down the book, Lisette had watched in fascination as a shaky video taken at night showed four winged forms jump from a smoldering, devastated building. According to the news caster, in a place called New York City, New York in the United States of America, a police station was blown up -- whatever that meant -- by a group of monsters called gargoyles. 

Right away Lisette had discarded the news report as being false, for she knew that the gargoyle race was a noble one and could never have caused the destruction she saw. Still, the important fact was the fact that there were gargoyles alive somewhere in the world today. Ever since her awakening two years ago, she had been waiting to find a purpose to this new life that was forced upon her.. now she knew: she had to go to these United States and find this clan of gargoyles... it seemed as though she had a second chance; and this time you could bet that she wasn't going to let her inexperience get in the way. There would be nothing that would stop her from protecting _this_ clan of gargoyles. 

As the days went on, Lisette kept an eye peeled to the news, hoping for any word of the clan, while she spent the rest of her time diligently studying and learning the English language. By the time she saw the next news report five days later that cleared the gargoyles of all blame of the bombing, Lisette found that she could speak English fluently. Within another week she was on a plane for Manhattan. 

"Lisette," the cab driver said. 

Snapping out of her reverie, Lisette noticed two things right away. First of all, the cab was no longer moving, and second of all, from the tone of the cab driver's voice, he had obviously been trying to get her attention for some time now. "I am sorry Harry, what were you saying?" she asked sheepishly. 

"I was just saying that we're here," he answered good naturedly as he indicated the sidewalk besides the car. 

"Oh, good..." Lisette mumbled as she pulled a small black wallet out of her backpack. "How much do I owe you?" 

"Sixteen-fity." 

Quickly Lisette dug through her wallet before pushing a twenty dollar bill into his hand and said, "Thank you Harry, keep the change." 

"Hey thanks!" Harry called out as Lisette climbed from the taxi. 

Squinting up in the darkening evening sky, Lisette took in the tall building before her. She recognized it instantly from the news casts -- the 23rd precinct. From outside appearances, she could immediately tell that a lot of repair work had been done. Still, Lisette slowly backed up till she was staring up at the ruins of the clock tower -- the gargoyles' apparent home. 

"Horrible, ain't it?" 

"Excuse me?" Lisette asked, looking around to see who had spoken. 

"I said that it's horrible... how they repair the rest of the building and don't even touch that old clock tower." 

Turning again, Lisette finally found the speaker -- an older African American officer. Quickly she scanned his uniform till she found his name tag. Officer Morgan. "Yes, it is," she agreed as she watched him shake his head slowly before leaving the early night and entered the brightly lit building. 

Shaking her head, Lisette quickly looked up at the towering ruin above her and muttered, "Sad indeed," before she straightened her shoulders and entered the building. Right away her breath caught in her throat at the loud bustle found throughout the large squad room. 

"Qu'est-ce que c'est..." Lisette trailed off in amazement. Never before had she seen such noise, movement, and apparent disorganization. Shrugging her shoulders, she daintily sidestepped a handcuffed, screeching woman accompanied by a man and woman wearing blue uniforms. Scanning the room, she quickly looked around for anyone who looked as though they weren't busy and knew what they were doing. To her immense relief, her eyes easily found a familiar face. Trying to look as though she belonged there, Lisette quickly moved across the room to a cluster of men and women dressed in identical blue uniforms. "Excuse me, Officer Morgan?" she interrupted as she tapped the elder man's shoulder. 

Turning around, Officer Morgan looked at Lisette with a questioning glance. "Can I help you, miss?" he asked, a smile on his kind face. 

"I'm hoping so," Lisette said, returning his smile. "I was wondering if you could tell me how to get up to the clock tower?" 

"The clock tower?!" Morgan asked, crinkling his eyebrows in confusion. "Now why would you want to go up there? It's a wreck and very dangerous.. no one is allowed up there." 

"Oh yes, well I am a reporter and I was given permission to go up there and check it out for a story I am doing about the gargoyles..." Lisette fibbed smoothly. 

"A little young to be a reporter, aren't you?" Officer Morgan asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. 

"Never too early to start," Lisette quipped quickly. 

"Uh huh, and who was it that gave you permission?" 

"The Captain." 

"Captain Chavez?" 

"Who else?" Lisette agreed. This wasn't looking good... at this rate she'd never get the directions. Then again, she never was a good liar. Just as she was about to tell him never mind, the suspicion in his eyes disappeared and his warm smile returned. 

"Well, alright. All you have to do is go up those stairs behind you, take a left and then find the door labeled 'supplies.' Just pull down the ladder inside and you're set to go." 

"Thanks!" Lisette replied, smiling gratefully at the elderly officer. Turning, she quickly hurried away before he could change his mind and followed the directions given to her. A couple of minutes later she found herself standing on the glass covered remains of the clock tower. Everywhere she looked she saw smashed glass, pieces of wood, furniture, and masonry. Sighing, Lisette shook her head sadly at the destruction and moved till she was standing on what must have been part of the glass clock face. 

There she stared out at the dark and starry night, the soft wind blowing through her silky blond hair. Smiling at the peace that welled up within her, Lisette inhaled a deep breath of the cool air -- and then gagged as the smog and pollution-ridden air filled her lungs. "New York City, not your little village," Lisette chided herself. 

Out of all of the places in Manhattan to search for the clan of gargoyles, this was probably the best place to start the search. Despite the fact that dozens had probably already gone through the rubble of the gargoyle home, there was still a chance that she may find the one clue that would lead her to their present hideout. Turning around, Lisette quickly surveyed the massive ruins. Bending down, she carefully picked up what must have been, at one time, a beautiful mirror.. now just a frame with a piece of cracked glass within. Staring through the dirty glass at her reflection, Lisette couldn't help but think back to her own clan and their home together.. and the destruction that was left in their wake. Shaking her head, she quickly put the shattered mirror back on the ground and moved about the destroyed area. "No time but the present," she murmured as she dug in. 

Sighing, Elisa moved around the busy squad room, knowing which spots to avoid from experience. As she neared Matt and her desks, an audible groan escaped her lips. Not only did Matt have the night off, but from the unorganized stack of files on her desk space, it was apparent that he also left all of his paperwork for her to finish. 

"Hey Detective!" 

Turning around, Elisa managed a small smile for the officer that was approaching her from across the busy room. "Hi Morgan." 

"Did Bluestone stick you with the reports again?" Officer Morgan asked as he eyed the pile of folders that were balancing precariously on Elisa's desk. 

"Yeah.. I guess this is his way of pay back for being gone so much last year," Elisa said wryly. "But what are you still doing here? I thought you'd be out on patrol by now!" 

"I should be, but the Captain wants me to go kick a girl out of the clock tower." 

"Another?" Elisa groaned. "And here I thought we were done with all of the people trying to get up there and gawk!" 

"You and me both," Morgan agreed with a smile. 

"So, how did this girl get up there?" 

"I told her how," Morgan replied sheepishly, his dark cheeks darkening even more while his eyes twinkled mischievously. 

"Morgan!" Elisa laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at her old friend. 

"Hey, the girl was really nice, and I didn't think there'd be any harm in letting her look around while I checked out her story." 

"You're just too nice sometimes," Elisa chuckled as she glanced at the waiting paperwork. 

Catching her wary glance, Officer Morgan quickly spoke up. "Yeah, maybe I was a little too nice. I really should be hitting the streets, but first I gotta escort the young lady from the premises.. unless you'd be willing to put the pile of paperwork off for a couple of minutes and do this old man a favor?" Morgan trailed off as he looked at Elisa with twinkling eyes. 

"We both know that it'd be you doing me the favor," Elisa said, smiling gratefully at her old friend. "You go hit the streets and I'll take care of our curious visitor upstairs." 

"Thank you Detective... and please be gentle; she really was a sweet kid," Morgan implored with a smile as he started heading for the exit. 

"Aren't I always?" Elisa called after him with a grin. Still smiling Elisa turned away from the huge workload and headed to the familiar supply closet. Seeing that the ladder was already down, she quickly climbed up into the shadowy remains of the clock tower. Peering into the inky darkness, Elisa moved until she was standing in the bright moonlight of the clock remains. _Now doesn't this bring back memories?_ she thought wryly as memories of the time she spent here with the clan and of the night she and Goliath had ended up at this exact location after being attacked at her apartment. Things would have been so much easier if she only would have known then about her forgotten past. Then again, that was the whole point of a memory wipe, wasn't it? To not remember. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and focusing on the task at hand, Elisa turned back to face the demolished clock tower. "Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing in the demolished abyss. 

"Uh, oui, une minute s'il vous plaît.. I mean, one minute, please!" a female voice called out from somewhere in the darkness. Hiding a smile, Elisa listened as the person stumbled over the debris and into the moonlight. Surprised, Elisa saw that the 'girl' she was looking for was in fact a slender young woman with long, pale blond hair. "Sorry, I was... just..." the young woman trailed off as she stepped into the moonlight and focused on Elisa. 

Her own smile faltering under the young woman's intense gaze, Elisa shook her head once more. "Listen, you're not allowed up here, so if you'll follow me I'll escort you back downstairs..." Elisa trailed off as she noticed the shocked expression hadn't changed. "Hello?" she asked as she waved a hand in front of the girl's face. 

"You're fey.. no.. not fey.. but something," the young woman said quietly, her face screwed up tight in concentration. 

Startled, Elisa stepped back a few paces before she regained her composure. "Excuse me?" 

"I can.. I can sense your magic.. what.. what are you?" Lisette asked as she stared closely at the woman, taking in every detail through her eyes and her other 'senses.' 

"I.. um, I'm a detective," Elisa said, finally regaining control of her shock. "Second class, here at the 23rd precinct..." 

"No, that's not what I meant," Lisette said, shaking her head slowly, I can feel your magic.. but it's not quite that of the 3rd race..." she trailed off slowly as she continued to stare at the woman. Something wasn't right here. The woman before her looked nothing more than an ordinary woman, very beautiful, but still just a human.. but she wasn't. The dark skin, the high cheek bones, the dark eyes, the long black hair, the jeans and jacket... it all looked human, but she wasn't. The woman before her had an audible aura of something else, with powerful magic and energy pulsing behind every move. This 'detective' was very powerful.. and she couldn't be human. 

"I.. um.." Elisa trailed off, so surprised that she didn't know how to answer the young woman's questions. How could she sense that? 

Luckily for Elisa, an escape route quickly appeared. "Hey Maza! You up there?" a male voice called out from below in the supply room. 

"Uh, yeah..." Elisa said, turning at the sound of the new voice. 

"The Captain is looking for you!" 

"Okay, I'll be right down!" Elisa yelled back, her eyes returning once more to the mysterious young woman. "Listen.. I have to go back downstairs, but I want you to wait here for me," Elisa said quietly as she met the young woman's direct gaze. 

"But.." 

"Listen.. uh..." 

"Lisette," the young woman supplied quickly, a small frown pulling at her lips. 

"Okay Lisette. I want you to wait here for me.. I'll be back soon," Elisa said as she started moving towards the ladder leading down to the dark supply room. 

"But I need to find the gargoyles!" Lisette called out as she followed the detective. 

Stopping abruptly, Elisa turned to face the young woman, throwing her off because of the quick stop. "What?" 

"I came here to find the gargoyles.. can you help me, Detective Maza?" Lisette asked, flashing a small grin at the older woman. 

Looking into her crystal blue eyes, Elisa was amazed at the depth found within.. it was like looking into a bottomless pit. Shaking her head, Elisa broke her gaze and started backing down the ladder. Stopping at a half way point, Elisa looked back up at the shadowy figure of Lisette. "Listen, just wait right here for me.. I'll be back as soon as I can get away and then we can talk. Alright?" 

Sighing, Lisette nodded curtly and mumbled, "Fine, I'll wait here for you.. but please hurry." 

Smiling, Elisa continued down the ladder and called out, "I'll be right back!" before closing the door of the supply room behind her. 

Sighing once more, Lisette turned away from the ladder and moved till she was once more staring out into the dark night from the open face of the clock tower, dropping her backpack on the floor beside her. What was going on? She should be out in the night searching for the gargoyle clan.. then again, maybe this Elisa Maza would be able to help her find them. And even if she didn't know about the gargoyles, it would still be worthwhile to find out exactly what she was; maybe she knew of her mother... "No, my mother is dead.." Lisette murmured to herself as she stared out into the dark night sky. 

Suddenly, a flash of red caught her eye. Turning, Lisette studied the dark night carefully, searching for what had caught her attention. There it was again. Turning, Lisette strained her eyes, trying to make out what she was seeing. Just at that moment, the moon decided to make a sudden appearance from behind its cloud cover, revealing the shape she had been trying to see. "A gargoyle," Lisette breathed, watching the form in amazement. 

Now she was left with a decision.. should she wait for the mysterious detective to return or should she chase after the gargoyle that she saw? It didn't take long for Lisette to decide on the gargoyle -- that was her main purpose in being there, after all. Besides, she always knew where she could find the detective. 

Moving quickly, Lisette mumbled something in French and then in a flash of green light her form changed: body lengthening about half a foot, skin turning light blue, blond hair turning even paler till it was almost white, jeans and tee shirt melting away to be replaced by a white halter and loincloth, and talons, wings, and a tail sprouting from her form -- her transformation complete. 

Smiling at her luck, Lisette turned and jumped from the edge of the clock tower, her wings catching her easily and lifting her high into the dark night sky. It had been quite a while since she had done this.. glided on the dark currents of the night. Not since that night so long ago.. the last night she had glided with her clan -- the night before their destruction. Looking down at the city streets below, Lisette marveled once more at the gift that she had. "If it was not for you mother, I would not be able to see the world as I now do," she murmured as a warm current of air carried her higher into the night sky. Clearing her mind once more, Lisette turned and followed the air currents, straining to catch up to the gargoyle she had spotted. 

Moving through the crowded hallway, Elisa hurried past the throng of people, sidestepping crooks, cops, and lost civilians. After a few more twists and turns she finally arrived at her destination: Captain Maria Chavez's office. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Elisa lifted up her hand and knocked on the closed door. 

"Come in," was the hardened reply that she received. 

Forcing a smile on her face, Elisa opened the door and stepped into the cluttered office. "You called for me, Cap?" 

"Yes I did. Where have you been?" Captain Chavez said as she looked up at Elisa through narrowed eyes, the paperwork she had been working on temporarily forgotten. 

"I told Morgan that I'd escort the girl who was snooping around in the clock tower to the door," Elisa said truthfully, her usual half smirk showing through. 

"Uh huh. That's good.. so what are you going to do now?" 

"Um, excuse me?" Elisa said, completely caught off guard. 

"Well, when I came in here tonight, I couldn't help but notice the pile of late paperwork that was stacked on your desk. You were about to tell me that you were going to spend the majority of tonight finishing that up and then finally turning it in, right?" Chavez asked, an evil glint in her eyes. "Unless you've somehow managed to finish all of that work in the last few minutes?" she asked archly as she crossed her arms and waited for an answer. 

"No, I was just..." 

"Stop. I don't want to hear it. Whatever it is, it can wait. Right now I want you to get your little butt back to your desk and finish that paperwork!" 

"But Cap..." 

"No buts," Chavez quickly interrupted as she stood up from her seat and leaned across the desk, her hard eyes meeting Elisa's. "I'm not stupid Detective, I know of the little game that you and Bluestone play -- always leaving the dirty work for the other one. Well, you're here now, so you're stuck with it!" 

"And that was just what I was planning on doing," Elisa said with a sigh as she turned away from the Captain and left her office. Trudging across the busy squad room to her desk, Elisa couldn't help but look towards the ceiling and curse her rotten luck for not getting out of the precinct sooner. "Guess my mystery woman there will have to wait," she muttered as she took off her red jacket, rolled up her black sleeves and turned back towards her desk... and looked down in surprise. Next to the huge pile of paperwork that was scattered on her desk sat a long and narrow white box. 

Surprised, Elisa slowly drew the box closer to her as she turned to survey the busy squad room. Everything looked normal. Curious, Elisa slowly reached out and opened the lid of the box and gasped. Within the box lay three of the most beautiful red roses she had ever seen in all of her very long existence lying on white cotton. Exhaling slowly, Elisa reached her hand down tentatively and picked up one of the three roses and held it to her nose. It was a perfect rose. 

Suddenly, one of the long and sharp thorns stabbed into her delicate skin, causing her to cry out in pain as the rose tumbled back down to her desk. While holding her hand protectively in her hand, Elisa looked around quickly and was relieved to see that the sound of her cry had been covered up by the loud squad room. Turning her head, her long black hair trailing down her back, Elisa looked down at her hand and watched as the wound healed quickly, leaving only a small smear of blood where the wound once stood. 

"Man, if anyone ever saw something like that happen, my cover would be blown," Elisa thought worriedly to herself. She just couldn't afford to get hurt in front of anyone, because now that she was in her body, the body of Talika the protector instead of a mortal's body, she couldn't control her healing. If she received any sort of wound, it would instantly heal up, no matter if she wanted it to or not. The mortal body of Elisa Maza that could receive wounds and sustain them was dead and gone forever. 

Shaking her head, Elisa turned back to her desk and saw that the white cotton lying beneath the three red roses now had a drop of blood: her blood from the wicked thorn. For some reason, the roses no longer looked beautiful, but ominous instead. Shaking her head once more, Elisa quickly closed the lid of the box and pushed it aside, turning once more back to the large stack of paperwork; she would ask Goliath about the roses later.. after all, even though he was asleep now, he could have found someway to deliver the roses.. who else would have given them to her? 

Somewhere over Manhattan 

"Argh! This isn't getting me anywhere!" Lisette groaned in frustration. She had been doing her best to catch up to the mysterious gargoyle for the last half hour. Instead, it seemed that despite her best efforts, she was only managing to follow her and maintain the distance between them. "Yep, it definitely has been a while!" she huffed as she strained her tired wings. Suddenly she had an idea. "If I can't catch up to her, then I might as well go in front of her!" Lisette huffed. Quickly she stopped moving and began to hover over the dark streets below. Murmuring something quickly in a mix between French and Latin, Lisette then began to glow a bright green. When the glow dissipated from around her, she found herself standing on the rooftop of a building in her human form. Turning quickly she caught sight of the gargoyle. From this close, she could tell that she was female, with blue skin and wild red hair. 

"Hey!" Lisette yelled, jumping onto her tip toes as she started waving her hands in the air wildly above her. "Hey! Over here!" 

Startled, the blue gargoyle looked down and saw the young woman waving frantically at her. "Humans!" Demona growled in hate as she stared down at the beautiful young woman. She was still in the process of trying to eliminate all of the humans of the world, but it didn't hurt to kill this one now. Smiling evilly, Demona descended quickly in the night sky till she landed a few feet away from the annoying human woman. 

"Hi!" Lisette huffed, trying to catch her breath. "I did not think that I would ever be able to get your attention!" 

"Oh, you got my attention all right, _human_!" Demona growled as she reached behind her and unslung her laser gun from around her back. 

Confused at the venom in the gargoyle's voice, Lisette backed up a few paces and stared at the gargess. Already she could see her eyes lighting up in a flash of red -- never a good sign when dealing with a gargoyle, for that usually signified anger. "What.. what's wrong?" Lisette stuttered as she watched the gargoyle take something out from behind her back. The object was about two to three feet long and made from a black metal unlike she had ever seen before. 

"Die you foolish human!" Demona screamed out as she pulled the trigger on the device and an arc of deadly red light shot out and crossed the distance between them, intercepting once with the human's right shoulder. 

Screaming out in pain, Lisette quickly fell to the ground. Gaping up at the gargoyle that now towered over her, she gently lifted her hand up and pressed it against her shoulder, whimpering as the pain flared through her shoulder. Pulling it away quickly, Lisette was amazed and horrified to see that her hand was now covered in blood -- her blood. 

Laughing maniacally, Demona raised the gun once more and aimed it at the young human's head. "And another one bites the dust," she whispered quietly as her finger began to tighten once more on the trigger... 

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be a gargoyle before her! Gargoyles were born to protect, it was a part of their nature! But all that this gargoyle seemed capable of was destruction -- her destruction at the moment. Quickly Lisette felt her eyes begin to burn a bright green as her pain and fear began to change into a blinding anger. In a sudden burst of magic, Lisette sent the startled gargoyle flying across the rooftop where she landed in a pile, instantly knocked unconscious. 

"Bitch," Lisette mumbled, recalling the one word that she had heard so often since her arrival.. most commonly used in a negative tone of voice towards women. She had no real idea of what it meant, but she imagined that it wasn't good. Straining, Lisette slowly got to her feet, crying out in pain as even that small movement caused her shoulder to burn. As the tears stung her eyes, Lisette moved across the roof until she was standing over the evil gargoyle's body. "Je te n'aime pas, donc, tu dois aller à l'Antarctica maintenant!" (I don't like you, therefore, you should go to Antarctica now!) she whispered harshly as a green glow overtook her blue eyes once more. As the green dissipated, so did the evil gargoyle that had attacked her. 

Instantly a pang of guilt sprang from within her. "But, elle était mal!" she reasoned with herself in her native tongue. Shaking her head, Lisette decided to worry about it later as another wave of pain shot from her injured limb. Crying out, Lisette clutched her shoulder with her already bloody hand, any slight movement causing pain now. Gritting her teeth, she searched the rooftop for her backpack before realizing that she had left it back at the clock tower. 

"Great, just great. And where is the clock tower now, oh stupid one?" she asked herself as she turned in a circle and surveyed her surroundings. Everywhere she looked she saw building after tall building, all looking the same and none looking familiar. "With my arm hurt, I will never be able to glide back to the clock tower, and without my sack, I have no money which means I cannot take a cab or use anything to help stop the bleeding," Lisette said in frustration as she realized how much her predicament really did suck. "Now I am stuck somewhere in New York City, which is probably as big as Paris, with no idea where I am, hurt, no money, and no way to get back to the only place where I actually knew someone!" she ground out, wishing all the more that she would have stayed at the clock tower like the detective has asked her to -- or better yet, back in France. 

"But whining about it will not aid the situation," she countered to herself once more. Looking around the deserted rooftop, Lisette found what she was looking for on the far corner: a clothesline with two large sheets draped over it. Grimacing at the throb in her shoulder, Lisette moved slowly across the roof and then gently ripped off a piece of the sheet. Steeling herself against the pain, she then tied it tightly around her wounded shoulder. She knew that it wouldn't hold for long, but hoped that it would at least stop the bleeding for now. 

"And now time to get down from here," she said firmly as she walked to the edge of the building and looked down to the ground. Sighing, she bit her lip against the pain in her shoulder and then quickly cast a spell that placed her on the sidewalk five stories below. Turning, she then lifted her head high and began to walk along the deserted sidewalk; where to, she had no idea, but at least she was going somewhere. 

That, though, remained a good question: where would she go now? Did she even need to go back to the clock tower and the detective there? Maybe to get her bag, but that was it. Her purpose there in New York City was no longer. All this experience with this gargoyle did was prove to her that not all gargoyles were as kind and as good as her clan back in France. But they were nothing more than dust that lived on in her memories. The clan here in Manhattan was obviously nothing like them.. they were evil and cruel.. and maybe they did have something to do with the bombing of the clock tower. The menace in that gargoyle's eyes was enough to make Lisette believe anything.. not since the Roman's had she seen such hate in a person's eyes. 

But now what? Her whole reason for being here in New York City was to find a purpose with this new clan. Should she go back to Bretagne? But what was there? Definitely not the existence that she wanted.. alone with her memories. Alone. That was what she was feeling. Her dreams had been shattered once more and now she was alone with her destroyed hope and her memories. Now she was in a new world with no home, no friends, and no one to love her or care of she lived or died -- she had never felt more alone in her life... not even when she awoke in the cave, confused and disoriented with her mentor's dusty remains laying on the floor beside her. She was all alone now.

NYPD 23rd Precinct 

Sighing, Elisa turned off the computer and closed the folder that she had been working on. Turning, she put the folder on the newly organized stack of files that had been lying on her desk. "Done," she mumbled with a small smile as she picked up the heavy load and moved it over to Matt's desk. "I'll just let him take care of filing it!" Elisa continued with a grin as she stood from her chair and stretched her stiff muscles. Leaning down, she grabbed her red coat from the chair, slipped it on, and moved down the hallway, up the stairs, and to the supply closet. "Time for some answers," she murmured as she pulled down the ladder and climbed them until she was once more standing in the devastated clock tower. "Hello!?" Elisa yelled as she surveyed the dark wreck. "Lisette?" 

Silence was her only answer. "Where did she go?" Elisa asked herself as she surveyed the dark ruins. Turning towards the open clock face, a piece of black cloth caught her eye. Moving closer, Elisa saw that it was the backpack that the young woman had slung over her shoulder earlier. Bending down, Elisa knelt before the heavy sack, her conscious weighing against her curiosity. Eventually, her curiosity won out. Looking around the ruins to make sure that she was alone, Elisa gently reached down and opened the zipper on the large part of the bag. After digging around for a couple of minutes, she found nothing of interest: a discman, CDs, batteries, a couple of French novels, three candy bars, and a bottle of water. Sighing, Elisa then moved to the smaller pocket. There she hit the jackpot. 

Inside she found a hairbrush, gum, a pen, a small notebook with the address of the precinct on it, a small dark blue velvet pouch, a passport, and a small black leather wallet. Smiling at her luck, Elisa first opened the billfold. Right away she found a wad of French and American money, which together totaled more than $50,000 US dollars. "At least I can be sure that she had enough money to survive here in New York City... although right now she's sitting without this money," Elisa thought worriedly to herself. 

After checking the pockets of the billfold and finding nothing else, she then moved to the French passport. According to the information there, the young woman that she had met earlier was really Talia Seul. "Talia Seul.. Talia Alone.." Elisa murmured, relying on her knowledge of the French language to translate the meaning of the last name. She was born on June 25, 1979, making her 19 years old, in the province of Bretagne in France. "Why would she lie to me about her name?.. unless her name really isn't Talia Seul either," Elisa thought out loud as she stared at the picture of Lisette. Shaking her head, Elisa put the wallet and passport back into the bag. 

Curious, she then picked up the small, dark blue velvet bag. Pulling gently on the ribbon that tied the bag shut, Elisa stared in wonder at the contents of the bag. Inside were eight coins that caught and reflected the moonlight. Carefully, Elisa reached out and lifted one of the coins, allowing the moon to reflect off of its surface so that she could read its dulled surface. Gasping, Elisa quickly lowered the coin and placed it back with the others. "Eight French coins that date back to 990 AD... they must be worth a fortune!!" 

Quickly Elisa redid the delicate ribbon and placed the velvet bag back into the backpack. Picking it up, she quickly slung the bag over her shoulder and hurried down the ladder and into the halls of the 23rd precinct. "I have to get to Goliath and have him help me.. we need to find her!" Elisa mumbled as she rushed down the hall and out of the building, ignoring the stares of her fellow co-workers as she jumped into her car and tore out into the night traffic, _before she gets herself in trouble_ she finished silently, worry creasing her brow. 

Somewhere else over Manhattan 

"I can't believe you ate the whole thing," Brooklyn muttered as he eyed his gliding companion's paunch. 

"Hey, all this gliding gave me an appetite!" Broadway protested as he patted his large blue stomach good naturedly. "Besides, I said you could have some." 

"Yeah, after you finished it off!" Lexington piped up from Broadway's other side. "Whoa! Talk about deja vu!" he quickly exclaimed as he looked at his rookery brothers in amazement. 

"Probably because this happens nearly every time we go on patrol together!" Brooklyn said as he dipped his wings to glide lower and miss Broadway's swipe. 

"Ha ha, very funny!" Broadway growled. 

"Ah, he's just steamed cause Goliath took Angela patrolling with him and he got stuck with us!" Lexington laughed as he too avoided his rookery brother's aim. 

Soon a full out war began as the three brothers swirled and dipped, trying to best the rest. They hadn't had fun like this in ages; they hadn't had the chance to act like rookery children in ages. Still laughing, Brooklyn stopped doing the aerobatics and started gliding back towards the Aerie building. "Come on guys, let's head back to the castle -- the others are probably back by now!" Brooklyn laughed. 

"Are you suggesting this as our second in command?" Lexington laughed as he caught up to Brooklyn. 

Winging up on Brooklyn's other, Broadway tried to put on a serious face -- failing miserably -- and said, "Yes, oh mighty leader, we shall do as you command!" 

Rolling his eyes at the laughing duo, Brooklyn just smiled and said, "No, as your rookery bro-" he trailed off as his eyes narrowed. 

"Our rookery what?" Broadway asked in disbelief.

Laughing, Lexington quickly nudged his brick colored brother. "What was that?" he questioned, smiling broadly. 

"Just shut up and look!" Brooklyn snapped as he pointed to something on the ground in front of them. 

Silencing immediately at the intensity in Brooklyn's voice, the two gargoyles quickly glanced in the indicated direction. About 100 yards in front of them walked a young human woman on the deserted sidewalk. 

"Jeez, when will these humans learn that it isn't a good idea to go walking around by yourself at night?" Lexington asked as he peered down at the young woman. 

Shaking his head, Broadway met Lexington's gaze and said, "I don't know, but all it does is make our job more difficult. Should we follow her to make sure that she gets where she's going alright?" 

"Probably.. Brooklyn?" Lexington asked, turning to his rookery brother. 

"Yeah, it's a good idea to make sure that she does make it alright, but I don't think that all three of us need to follow her. If you guys want, I'll go ahead and make sure she gets home and you two can head back to the castle," Brooklyn suggested as he followed the young woman's movements with his sharp eyes. 

Shrugging his shoulders, Broadway turned and met Lexington's gaze once more. "I think that it's a good idea.. but are you saying it as our rookery brother..." 

"Or as our second in command?" Lexington finished with a small smile. 

Turning to glare half heartedly at his brothers, Brooklyn grinned instead and said, "As your second in command. Now get moving before Goliath begins to worry!" 

Laughing, the two brothers altered their course and began to glide back in the direction of the castle. Brooklyn barely heard Lexington say, "He just thinks that she's pretty and wants to be her hero if she needs help!" before they both broke up in a fit of laughter that gradually died away on the night breeze. 

Smiling, Brooklyn shook his head as he dipped lower to follow the young woman's progress more closely. As he got closer, he realized that Lex was right.. she was beautiful from what he could see.. for a human that is. She was wearing blue jeans, a white tee shirt, a red piece of cloth tied around her shoulder, long blond hair that stretched down her back.. a red piece of cloth? Squinting his eyes to see better in the night gloom, Brooklyn saw that the red piece of cloth was in fact tied tightly around her shoulder, and that not only was it red, but it glistened slightly under the occasional light of a street lamp.. as though it were wet. Also, he could now make out red splotches all over the back of her white shirt. Concern etching his face, Brooklyn glided lower still and watched closely as the young woman continued walking down the side-walk, her gate becoming more and more uneven as she occasionally placed a slender hand against a nearby wall for support. 

Just as Brooklyn was about to dive down to assist the woman, a loud and jeering voice caused them both to pause. Shaking his head, Brooklyn quickly glided down to the nearest rooftop and watched with glowing eyes as four guys sauntered out from a dark alley and encircled the young woman. 

"Hey baby, whatcha doing out so late?" one of the guys with green, spiky hair asked quietly as he advanced on her. 

"Alone?" the other guys taunted as they expertly began to move closer, causing her to back away.. right into the alley. 

"I am going to the police station, thank you," Lisette said coldly, her eyes flashing angrily as the young men began backing her into the alley. 

"Oh hoh.. did you hear that boys? The girlie is going to the police station!" the leader of the group, the one with the green, spiky hair cried out as the rest began to whoop and laugh. "Well, hey baby.." the leader crooned as he darted forward and pushed Lisette against a grimy brick wall, his body pinning her against it while he gently pet one hand against her smooth cheek. "We can help you out!" he whispered fiercely as his friends drew up beside him. 

"Hey look at that! She's bleedin'!" one of the boys cried out with a stupid grin on his face as he poked at her bandaged shoulder. 

Screaming out in pain, Lisette flinched as darkness started to steal over her vision. Reacting quickly, the leader quickly covered her mouth with his dirty hand as one hand began to travel lower. "Shh, honey.. we don't want anyone interruptin' us." 

As the pain subsided and the throbbing returned, Lisette turned her icy stare on the young leader. Meeting his dark glare, she felt her eyes slowly begin to burn green as her anger built. Suddenly she released it all in a burst of magic that sent the leader flying across the alley and into the far wall. "DO.. NOT.. TOUCH ME!" Lisette cried out, her breath heaving as she fought to regain her composure. 

"What the hell!?" 

"Did you guys see that!" 

"What's up with this bitch? Let's get the hell out of here!" the other members of the little punk squad yelled out as they turned to run from the scene. 

"No! Grab her!" the leader called out, halting his friends in mid-step. "This bitch is going to pay!" he said as he brought a hand to his mouth and wiped away a trickle of blood. 

At this command, the group quickly shrugged their shoulders and began advancing on the woman. Seeing this, Lisette quickly called upon her magic and started dealing out devastating blows to the group. And up from above, Brooklyn continued to watch, his mouth wide in amazement. Just as he was about to come down and kick some butt, the woman surprised him by sending the leader across the alley, her eyes glowing green. 

"She's fey!" he gasped in amazement. Frozen in shock, he continued to watch as she began fighting the group of punks using nothing else but magic. Suddenly, he saw the leader of the group begin to sneak around Lisette, moving closer and closer to her unprotected back as she dealt with the others. Seeing the punk's intent and having no time to dive, Brooklyn did the only thing that he could think of.. the exact wrong thing to do. "Hey, watch out!" 

Startled, Lisette broke off her attack and looked high up into the alley in search of the cry. That second of inattention was the one thing that the leader needed as he darted forward and dug his nails into Lisette's shoulder wound, causing her to scream out in agony. This time she could do nothing to prevent the darkness from swimming up to meet her as she lapsed into unconsciousness. 

As the woman fell to the ground, the group of punks hesitantly advanced forward, afraid of another attack. When they saw that none would be forthcoming, they knelt beside her.. ready to watch at first and then take their turn at revenge on the beautiful girl. 

Slipping out a jack knife, the leader inched the gleaming blade towards the top of her shirt when a demon like roar broke the quiet of the night. "Oh God," the leader stuttered in fear as the knife dropped out of his hands and onto the grimy ground of the alley. Turning, he just had enough time to turn and stare up into the sky before he was knocked off of his feet and to the ground by a flash of red. Groaning, he looked up and into the eyes of the Devil himself. "A gargoyle!" he screamed out in panic as the glowing red eyes focused on him. "Let's get out of here!!" he screeched in panic as he scrambled to his feet and ran from the alley, the rest of his gang close behind. 

Sighing, Brooklyn allowed his eyes to quit glowing as he turned back to the young woman. She didn't look so hot. Her shoulder wound was bleeding fiercely, easily soaking the bandage and dripping down her arm as her tanned face became increasingly pale. "She needs help," Brooklyn muttered thoughtfully as he knelt beside her. Just as he had seen Elisa do it before, Brooklyn gently reached out one hand and placed it firmly over the wound, hoping to slow the bleeding. Groaning, the young woman shifted slightly, but still didn't regain consciousness. "I can't bring her to the hospital.. what if they try using some instrument with iron on her!" Brooklyn said aloud to himself as he stared at her face. She was even more beautiful in person, with high cheek bones, a small, pert nose over wide, full red lips. "I need to take her to the castle," Brooklyn finally mumbled to himself, coming to a quick decision. It made the most sense, because not only did Xanatos have state of the art equipment, but there was also the rest of the clan, a fey, a half fey, and a quarter fey living there.. they may just be of some help. 

Nodding to himself, Brooklyn leaned forward and gently slid his arms under the woman and easily lifted her into his arms. When she didn't wake he turned and surveyed the dark alley. He needed to get higher so that he could get some altitude and find wind currents to glide off of. Disappointed, he quickly realized that there was nothing to be found here that would do the job: just trash bags and a few dumpsters. Sighing, Brooklyn gently readjusted his hold till he was holding on to her firmly around the waist with one arm, her head tilted forward. Careful not to jostle his passenger, Brooklyn gently scaled the side of the building, the crunch of stone the only noise. It was extremely slow going, each step a baby one because of the difficulty of trying to climb with one hand, but a few minutes later he was at a high enough height that he was able to push away from the wall and let his wings catch him. Once he was airborne he readjusted his grip on the unconscious young woman once more so that he was again carrying her in his arms, her head supported on his shoulder. 

"Goliath's not going to believe this," he muttered as he soared higher into the night sky, looking down at his passenger to see her eyes moving quickly beneath the cover of her eye lids.. dream time. 

Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's warm grip, the arms safe and protective as she stares across the room. It was the same room.. always the same room with the same view: grimy dirt floors, a hearth with a small fire burning, a rickety old table with wooden benches, an old bed made out of lumber pressed against the far corner, and the pale and cold sunlight seeping in through the open doorway. _No, look at her face.. please look at her face!_ Lisette begged of her mind's eye.. it wasn't to be. Every time it was the same dream with the same view. 

Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is gripped tighter by the hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the mother as she stands up from her chair quickly. _This isn't a game!! Look at her face!_ Lisette urged, knowing that the baby wouldn't do any different than usual.. too young to understand. 

Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is lowered quickly to the floor and then laid on the cold dirt. The cold upsets the child, and she quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes. Turning her small head, the young infant watches through blurry eyes as the mother walks towards the open door, never once looking back. 

Then she stops. Holding her breath, Lisette urged for the dream to go on. As the baby continues to cry, the mother stops by the door and weakly reaches one tanned, slender hand out and rests it against the door, the hand trembling. Ever so slowly she begins to turn. Just as the corner of the woman's face reaches the light, the dream slowly fades to black. 

_No_, Lisette sobbed in her mind's eye as darkness once more reigned over her world. _I need to see her face..._

Aerie Building 

As the elevator dinged open on the highest part of the Aerie building, Detective Elisa Maza rushed through the opening and into the Great Hall of Castle Wyvern. Turning in circles, she quickly found what she was looking for. "Owen!" she yelled as she rushed up to the calm as ever man servant. 

"Yes Detective Maza?" he asked in his usual bored voice. 

"I need to speak with Goliath! Where is he?" Elisa panted, trying to regain her breath. 

"I do believe that he and the rest of the clan are gathered outside in the courtyard." 

"The courtyard?" Elisa asked in disbelief. Usually when she came to the castle, the clan was always gathered in the recreation room with Goliath hidden away in the library reading one novel or another. 

"Yes, they have just returned from patrol and are.. uh hem, swapping stories," Owen said, raising his eyebrow slightly as he said the last part, indicating that it wasn't his own term to describe the event. 

Nodding her head, Elisa turned and ran towards the far end of the room where the large doors leading into the courtyard were located. "Thanks Owen!" she yelled over her back as Elisa pulled open the massive doors and ran into the courtyard. 

It was beautiful out here, with spring already past and summer in full bloom. There were trees, grass, and flowers of all varieties blooming in the warm night air. But Elisa saw none of this. Ignoring the beautiful scenery, she ran past and out onto the stone parapets where the clan was gathered. "Goliath!" 

"Elisa?" Goliath asked in confusion and the beginnings of worry as he watched his love run up to the group. 

"I need your help!" Elisa said as she pulled to a stop beside the group, ignoring the looks of worry from everyone gathered. 

"What's wrong Elisa?" Angela asked as she watched her human friend closely. 

"Do you need help with a case?" Broadway broke in eagerly, a smile lighting up his face. 

Flashing one of her small smiles, Elisa shook her head at Broadway. "No case, but something different. I need your guys' help finding someone!" 

"Who lass?" Hudson asked as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. 

"She's in her late teens, early twenties, with long blond hair that stretches down her back, blue eyes, about my height, 110 pounds, tall and thin, and last seen wearing baggy blue jeans and a white tee shirt," Elisa described from memory, replaying her time with the girl in her head. "Also, her name is either Lisette or Talia Seul." 

Just then a sudden noise from behind the group caused them all to turn quickly in surprise. "I think that I just found who you're looking for," Brooklyn panted quickly as he hopped down from the parapets, careful not to jostle the girl anymore than necessary. 

"Oh God, what happened?" Elisa said, immediately by Brooklyn's side as she gently checked out the shoulder wound. 

"To her shoulder? I don't know. But I found her wandering the streets where she was attacked by a gang of punks..." 

"Was she hurt?" Angela asked quickly, concern touching her face as she looked at the still form of the woman. 

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Goliath asked, worry creasing his own features. 

"No, she wasn't hurt," Brooklyn answered quickly to Angela as he began moving past the clan. "She managed to fight them off pretty well on her own." 

"She fought them off on her own?" Lexington asked in amazement as he looked at her small frame, moving beside Brooklyn. 

"Where are ye going lad?" Hudson asked as Brooklyn hurried past. 

"To the infirmary, and get Owen!" he yelled over his shoulder, with Elisa and Lexington running beside him. 

"Owen?" Broadway asked in confusion. "Why do we need Owen?!" 

"Because I think that she's fey!" was the yelled response as Brooklyn disappeared from sight. 

"What?!" 

"Broadway, go find Owen! Hudson, Angela, come with me!" Goliath ordered as he turned quickly and began running after his second in command, the rest of the clan in hot pursuit. 

As Goliath rounded the final hall, he quickly entered the infirmary where he saw Elisa and Brooklyn bent over the young woman. "Elisa?..." 

"Where's Owen?" Elisa asked as she gently untied the cloth that was wrapped tightly around the girl's shoulder. 

"Broadway went to find him.." Goliath trailed off as he stared at the red wound on the girl's shoulder. 

"Is it a gun shot wound?" Lexington asked quietly from his perch against the wall. 

"No, I don't think so.. I can't see any gun powder or anything..." Elisa muttered as she grabbed a scissors lying on a stainless steel table nearby and gently cut off the sleeve of the shirt and pulled it away to show the wound. "It looks like a clean hole straight through her shoulder..." 

"A laser?" Brooklyn asked as he pressed his hand over the wound in hopes of slowing the bleeding. 

"I think so," Elisa agreed grimly, meeting his shocked expression. 

Suddenly the door burst open behind them as Owen and Broadway hurried into the room. Without saying a word the man servant moved instantly by the young woman's side, pushing Elisa and Brooklyn out the way. There was no reaction or no word as he quickly went to work on her shoulder, a tense silence falling over the room. A while later, Owen finally stepped away from the young woman, a clean white strip wrapping its way around her shoulder and arm. 

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, they watched as the mysterious young woman's eyes fluttered open. The first thing that those striking blue eyes saw was Brooklyn's smiling face. "Oh no!" Lisette whispered as her eyes widened in fear and she sat up quickly, crying out as the pain flared up in her arm. 

"Hey, take it easy!" Elisa said quickly, instantly by the girl's side. 

"You!" Lisette gasped, recognizing the detective easily. 

"Who else? Now just hold still or else you're going to hurt your arm even more," Elisa soothed as she gently pushed the young woman back onto the infirmary bed. 

"But.. but the gargoyles," Lisette gasped as she looked at the gargoyle clan, who now all mirrored her shocked expression. 

"It's okay, they're friends!" Elisa urged, a small smile on her face. "Besides, I thought that was why you came here.. to find the gargoyles..." 

"It was... but one of your clan sisters found me first..." 

"Uh oh," Lex murmured as the picture of that particular gargoyle came to mind. 

"And the first thing that she did was shoot me in the shoulder with.. fire, from this big machine!" Lisette said angrily, her eyes flashing a bright green, which caused everyone in the room to flinch back in surprise. 

"Demona!" Brooklyn growled, his eyes flashing white as he thought of his hated enemy. 

"Ah.. so she finally made it back to New York City," Elisa said thoughtfully, thinking back to when she sent Demona to Norway in a fit of anger.. well justified anger. 

"It was a short stay then," Lisette snapped angrily, her eyes flashing once more that eerie green of the fey as she thought of the gargess's unexpected trip to Antarctica. 

"Are you one of Oberon's children?" Lexington asked quietly, breaking in on her anger. 

"What?" Lisette asked, thrown off guard for a minute. 

"Are you fey?" he persisted, the perfect picture of innocence. 

For a moment, the anger faded back from her eyes as she smiled at the younger gargoyle. "I.. wait a minute!" she broke off suddenly, the wary look entering her bright blues once more. "How do I know that you will not hurt me with another of those machines?" she asked, eyeing the clan. 

"It's called a laser gun, and it's because it's not our way to do that.. attack humans.." Brooklyn answered slowly. 

"But isn't this Demona a part of your clan?" Lisette asked, not letting her guard down yet. 

"Not any longer," Goliath answered with a tired sigh. 

"I.. I do not understand," Lisette answered back, her French accent mixed in with her melodious voice causing each to strain to hear her words. "Is she the one who destroyed your home above the clock tower?" 

"How did you know about that?" Elisa asked in confusion. "You were in France at the time, weren't you?" 

"Yes," Lisette answered slowly, eyeing Elisa suspiciously. "It was all over the news.. that bombing of your home at the police station... how many are there in your clan?" she asked, taking them all off guard at her sudden change in topic. "The news footage showed only four gargoyle forms.." 

"Well, after the massacre at Wyvern, there are just seven of us. There's Lexington, Broadway, Goliath -- our leader," Brooklyn began explaining, pointing to each gargoyle in turn. "And Hudson -- the previous leader, Angela, Goliath's daughter, and then there's Elisa Maza and that there is Owen Burnett..." 

"And this is Brooklyn, the gargoyle that saved you from that gang and brought you here," Elisa interrupted as she pointed to Brooklyn with a small smile forming on her face. 

Smiling tentatively at the gathered group, Lisette lifted a small hand and pointed to herself. "And I am Lisette.. but what is this you said about a massacre?" she asked, her voice straining at the mention of the word. 

"A very long story," Goliath broke in sadly, thinking back to all of their adventures of the past three years. 

"Very well," Lisette agreed, understanding the need for silence about something so personal. Besides, there was something else that still bothered her. "But if you are human, Elisa, then why can I sense such powerful magic from you?" Lisette asked, once more taking the detective off guard by such a direct question. 

"Ah.." Elisa stuttered as her gaze jumped back and forth between Goliath and Owen, the only ones who knew the real story. 

"Well," Brooklyn broke in quickly, not even noticing the small look of relief that spread across Elisa's face. "Apparently when Puck turned her into a gargoyle one time, she developed the ability to do magic as a side effect.." 

"Turned into a gargoyle?" Lisette asked in confusion. 

"Long story," Brooklyn replied with a sheepish grin. 

"But.. who is Puck?" Lisette asked, her confusion growing. 

Sighing, Angela shook her head slowly and smiled at the young woman. "That could get complicated." 

At this, Lisette leaned back against the propped up pillows and thought for a moment. It all sounded plausible.. it could happen. But for some reason, Lisette had the gnawing feeling that it wasn't the whole truth.. Elisa felt just too powerful for that to be the whole explanation. Shaking her head, Lisette looked up to the clan and smiled a bright smile.. she would worry about that later. For now she would accept that explanation. 

"But that hasn't answered any of our earlier questions.." Elisa broke in hesitantly as she laid one of her dark hands on Lisette's shoulder. Turning, the young woman moved till her dark blue eyes met her own dark ones. "How can you sense my magic? How did you fight off those guys? How were you able to send Demona away... and _where_ did you send her? And why do your eyes flash green  
whenever you become upset? Are you fey?" 

"No, she is not," Owen said quietly, interrupting whatever Lisette was about to say. "I have never seen her before in my life, and she is not one of my sisters." 

At this admission, Lisette cast Owen a strange glance. "Well, you are partly right," she finally broke in with a small smile. "I am half human and half something else.. I was born in 979-" 

"Nine hundred seventy-nine?" Brooklyn interrupted in obvious disbelief and confusion. 

"To my parents," Lisette continued, as if he hadn't spoken, "Jean-Marc, a human, and Jasmine, who was not quite human -- or so we think..." 

"You think?" Broadway asked in confusion. 

"Well, I never actually met my mother... or my father for that matter," Lisette admitted sadly. "A few months after my birth, my mother disappeared. My father quickly traveled to a nearby village in the province of Bretagne in Gaul, now called France. There, he was said to have begged the townspeople for help -- help that he would never get." 

"But why wouldn't the villagers help your father?" Angela asked quietly. 

"Because by that time, rumors of my mother had spread, and her disappearance only fueled the flame," Lisette replied softly as her head dropped to her chest. "The villagers were afraid of her and thought her a witch..." 

"Why would they think her a witch?" Elisa prodded quietly. 

"Because strange things would happen whenever there was magic around... like if our village was ever attacked by magic, a blow that would maim or kill another villager would cause little to no damage to my mother.. or so it was said. Also, no one knew who she was or where she came from, including my mother... just one day she was there... and the next day she was gone... My father, a very poor farmer, began the search for my mother by himself. While he searched, the gossip spread until it reached the ears of the wizard to the lord of the land, Craigen. Intrigued, he traveled far to our village where he talked to the peasants there and heard the stories first hand. Even more intrigued, he then traveled to my father's decrepit cottage where he met with my father. It was then that he saw what would most likely become of me, and then convinced my papa to release me to his care..." 

"Why did your father give you to the wizard?" Goliath asked in amazement, casting a quick glance in Angela's direction. 

Sighing, Lisette lifted her head and met Goliath's baffled gaze. "I like to think that he gave me up because he loved me so much -- that he knew he could never bring me up properly by himself -- or that he figured that when he found my mother that they would come for me... I never had the courage to ask Craigen why, and I was told that my father died just a few years later, still searching for my mother..." Lisette trailed off, a sad smile on her porcelain face. Shaking her head, she quickly steeled her emotions. "In any case, it was done. I was raised by Craigen in the lord's château where I was taught to read, write, and study many things -- including the study of magic," Lisette finished with a small smile. 

"He knew you were magical?" Lexington asked from his perch on a nearby infirmary bed. 

"No, but it was a good guess. Strange things began happening when I was just a child..." 

"Like what?" Angela asked, her eyes eager in curiosity. 

"Well, one story that he told me was that when I was just an infant one of my bottles began to teeter and fall off of the counter. Rushing forward, he tried to get to it in time to prevent it from smashing to the ground... when suddenly the toppling glass halted in mid-air and then floated back up to its place on the counter. The only people in the room were he and I. After a few more instances like that, he became convinced that I was no ordinary child!" Lisette laughed, instantly lightening the mood in the room. 

"What else happened to convince him?" Elisa asked with a small smile, seeing that these memories were good ones for the woman. 

"Well, one time, when I was just a year old, I apparently learned how to levitate things... 

Craigen's room - 980 AD 

Smiling, the young wizard sat at his table and mixed his brews, trying to create a potion that would magically stop the smell that always seemed to permeate from the young child's diaper. He knew that the smell meant that she needed to be changed, but he knew that he could figure that problem out without having to smell that horrid stench. Periodically, he would stop his mixing to peer over his shoulder and ensure that the child was still sitting in the crib that he had made for her.. and staying out of trouble. Suddenly his smile grew as he realized that he had figured out the potion, and that all he needed to do was mix these last two bottles. 

Ever so carefully young Craigen lifted the bottles close to his face and began to slowly pour the contents of one bottle into the other. Almost immediately the substance within changed colors from a forest green to that of the sky. Grinning, he continued to hold the bottle up to his face as he absently set the empty bottle on the table.. or where the table should have been. Surprised, Craigen looked up.. and then down. Crying out, Craigen realized that he was now floating a good eight feet off of the ground, his stool and table five feet below him. So surprised was he that both bottles dropped out of his hands and then smashed on the stone floor so far below. 

A sudden girlish laughter caught his attention. Turning as best as he could while floating in the air, Craigen looked down and saw his young ward sitting as she was supposed to.. but her eyes were glowing an eerie green. Laughing again, she clapped her hands, her eyes focused firmly on Craigen's flying form. It didn't take a genius or a wizard to figure out why he was suddenly floating in the air. "Lisette!" he called out, his voice trembling slightly. Why did he have to be afraid of heights? "Lisette, sweetie, put me down!" he called out, trying to keep his voice calm. 

Not calm enough, apparently. Smiling, this caused Lisette to laugh all the harder as she began to move her head back and forth, causing poor Craigen to float back and forth as well. 

"Lisette! Put me down!" he yelled out as his face began to turn green because of the movement. "Help!" 

Present day and time 

"So as you can see, it did not take a wizard to figure out that there was something special about me.. and because he met my father, he knew that it wasn't due to him, which just left my mother." 

"Well, at least you didn't drop him on his head!" Brooklyn said, laughing at the thought of a baby causing her unsuspecting mentor to float in the air. 

"Well, I guess that's one thing to be grateful for!" Lisette said with a warm smile in Brooklyn's direction. 

"Yes, but how did you manage all of this time? Are you immortal?" Elisa asked, getting back to the subject at hand. After seeing the young woman's expression fall once more, Elisa wished all the more that she hadn't. 

"If I were immortal, I would not have this mess, would I?" Lisette answered with a sad smile as she gazed at the human detective. Turning slightly, she focused on the warm eyes of Brooklyn instead. "No, I am definitely not immortal... I spent all of my time in the château either with Craigen or with the gargoyle clan that protected the château. They were my friends -- whenever I could, I would sneak away from my chores and studies so that I could be trained and just be with the clan.." Lisette said, trailing off as a small smile caused her full lips to lift slightly at the pleasant memories. 

"So the humans and gargoyles lived together in peace?" Goliath asked, smiling at the thought of his dream of peace between the two races a reality. 

"Well, not exactly... I think that the humans of the château resented my clan because they were different from themselves -- which meant that the wizard and I were resented as well," Lisette explained slowly, a sad smile filling her face. "In any case, life went on like that... until the Roman Invasion... It was a time of war -- battles were won and battles were lost, armies advanced and armies retreated, homes were destroyed.. and friends were killed," Lisette described as her voice turned hollow and her eyes seemed to focus on nothing. "One day in the summer, when I was 17 years of age, the château was attacked by the mighty Roman army..." Lisette whispered as her thoughts traveled back to that time so long ago. 

The Lord of Bretagne's Château -- 996 AD 

Yawning, Lisette moved slowly down the stone hallway of the castle, her long skirts swishing against the floor as the weak sun filtered through the occasional window. "Oh, these late nights are killing me!" she said, trying in vain to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She was late for her lessons with Craigen and she knew it. From the position of the sun it seemed that it was almost noon. "No, _he_ is going to kill me!" Lisette murmured as she picked up her pace and quickly began climbing the stone stairs of the tower. Breathless, she finally reached the top and burst into the cluttered room. "Craigen?" 

"I'm here, just where I said I would be earlier this morning when it was time for your lessons," an aged voice replied tersely. 

Moving carefully around one cluttered table after another, Lisette finally found her mentor reading on a stool with a very large book on his lap. "I'm so sorry, Craigen, but..." 

"You were out late with the gargoyle clan and accidentally slept in," the wizard said as he finally looked up from the book he was reading to connect his tired brown eyes with her blue. "It is always the same with you, my child," he sighed, shaking his white head as he slowly got up from his seat, his brown robes catching the occasional ray of light. 

"But the Romans attacked a nearby village and I went along to help scare them away..." Lisette argued, trying to defend her actions. 

Waving his hand in the air, Craigen quickly replied, "And tis good that the gargoyles did so... tis in their very nature to protect... but you are not a gargoyle." 

"But..." 

"I know, you can take on the form of a gargoyle with that magic of yours, but inside you are still a young mage.. my apprentice and ward... a human being..." 

"A halfling," Lisette interrupted quickly as she watched her mentor begin to mix some concoction. 

"Yes, but if the lord or his son ever knew that at night you changed yourself into a garg..." 

"Oh, phooey on the lord, and especially on his son! I don't like the way he keeps eyeing me!" Lisette said angrily as she plopped down on the wooden stool, her dress flaring around her. 

"The boy likes you..." 

"The _boy_ just wants to own and control me like he does everyone else in this château!" Lisette argued, her eyes flashing green at the thought. 

"Shh, now child," the aging wizard said as he knelt in front of his ward. "You know that..." 

"Hush, Craigen... did you hear that?" Lisette cried out suddenly as her large blue eyes grew wider. 

"Hear what?" Craigen asked in confusion as he placed one hand gently on Lisette's shoulder. 

"Shh, there it is again!" Lisette cried as she jumped to her feet and rushed to the nearest window. There she looked down upon the peaceful château, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. However, when she looked further, past the château's walls she saw what caused the noise. "Oh, mon Dieu! Craigen, the Roman's are attacking!" Lisette cried quickly, willing her eyes to be wrong as man after man began pouring out from the nearest wood. 

"What?!" Craigen called out quickly as he rushed to stand beside Lisette at the tall tower window, just as the cry of alarm was sounded throughout the château. 

"I just see the watch guards... where is the lord and his forces?!" Lisette cried out in alarm as she watched the measly watch guards attempt to defend the château walls. 

"They are gone, helping Lord Louis to defend his lands from the Romans," Craigen replied hollowly as he watched guard after guard retreat further from their posts under the hollow of spears and arrows. 

"But the Romans are _here_!" Lisette protested weakly. 

"And the château shall fall under their control." 

"Then we must stop them!" Lisette cried out shrilly as she picked up her skirts and rushed for the door. 

"Stop, Lisette! Can't you see? The sun is high and the gargoyles won't awaken for hours... till it's too late," the old wizard trailed off slowly. 

"I know, but _we_ can stop them! You can use your book of spells, and I my magic! You said that I was strong..." Lisette trailed off, one hand resting on the door. 

"No, my child. I am an old wizard and you a young girl. You are strong, but we can't take on an entire army!" Craigen urged. 

"But..." 

"And we shall use that to our advantage. The Romans are fierce, but they are not barbarians and will not harm us," Craigen said wisely as he stepped beside his ward and pulled her gently away from the door. "They will take us captive with the rest of the château and later the lord shall bargain for his people's freedom." 

At that exact moment, one of the fore mentioned Roman warriors charged into the room, sword ready. "Who are you?" he barked out quickly, eyeing Lisette in her tightly bodiced gown. 

"I..." Lisette started, aiming her best glare at the invader. 

"We are nothing more than an aging man and his granddaughter," Craigen interrupted quickly, placing a firm hand on Lisette's shoulder. 

The guard continued to eye them for a minute longer before nodding slowly. "Fine. Move it," he ordered, pointing for them to move ahead of him and down the stairs where they were then placed in the open courtyard with the other inhabitants of the château. 

There they sat and waited for hours on end as the Romans finished turning the château upside down in search of valuables. And then the group of scared and hungry captives were told to start moving by the Roman Captain himself. 

Smiling in reassurance at Lisette, Craigen reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "See my child? I told you that everything would be alright." 

Lisette herself was about to agree with her aged mentor when a sudden shout caused everyone to freeze and made Lisette's blood run cold. "But what about the gargoyle statues, sir?" one young Roman warrior called out hesitantly as he eyed the many statues that adorned the château's walls. 

"What about them?" was the Captain's curious reply as he too eyed the fierce statues. 

"Why, we must smash them sir, before the sun goes down and they come to life and after us!" 

At this, the contingent of warriors broke into uneasy laughter. Hearing this, Lisette felt her worry ease... until she saw the Captain's face as he contemplated his warrior's request. 

Brushing away Craigen's restraining arm, Lisette stepped away from the group and towards the Roman captain until the cold steel of a sword blocked her way. Straining to keep her face a mask of ease, Lisette met the captain's eyes and said, "Must your pillaging of our home be so complete that you must smash the masonry that decorates the very château itself?" 

Turning, the mighty Roman captain stared down from his tall stead at the brave young woman before him -- brave, but foolish as well. It was obvious that she hadn't yet learned that it was a woman's place to be silent. She was beautiful, for a French peasant, that is. Still, later he would probably take pleasure in putting her in her proper place himself. Ignoring her objection, the Captain finally turned his wise eyes back to his young warrior. "And where did you hear of such superstitions?" 

"From another troop, sir. They said that a band of demons flew outta the night sky last night, screeching and roaring with glowing eyes, chasing the troop right outta the village they were inhabiting. I was told that the demons were called gargoyles and that they came to life when the sun falls below the horizon..." the young man trailed off slowly, his mind ticking off the short hours to sunset. 

Turning, the mighty Roman captain surveyed the many statues adorning the château walls, as did every other soldier in the contingent. 

"Don't tell me you actually believe that fairy tale!" Lisette cried out, breaking into a mocking laughter. Turning, she called out to the rest of her people that were gathered behind her with shocked expressions on their faces, "Did you hear that? The mighty Roman army that is out to conquer our country is afraid of gargoyles! A child's fable!" 

"Enough!" the Roman captain yelled out fiercely, his cold gaze locked on Lisette. "You have quite a tongue.. one that I will have cut out if you don't shut your mouth! The Roman Empire fears nothing!" he yelled out, meeting Lisette's piercing blue eyes. "Now move out.. we have much ground to cover!" the captain barked out as he turned his horse and began leading the troops from the château. 

Sighing in relief, Lisette quickly moved to Craigen's side. "They're not going to hurt the clan," she whispered as she began moving beside her mentor. 

"Oui, and all thanks to you, my foolish child," Craigen whispered back in a scolding tone, thinking of how close he came to losing her, yet also with a slight twinkle in his eyes as he thought of how she outsmarted the captain and used his pride against him. 

"And it was..." 

"Captain, sir... what about the gargoyles?" the same guard broke in, causing Lisette's words to freeze on her lips. 

Pulling his horse to a stop, the Roman captain looked over his shoulder at the deserted château. "You may take a small troop back to smash the statues and catch up to us later if it will ease your worry," he said smoothly as he faced forward once more and urged his horse on. 

Stunned, Lisette could only watch in horror as a small group of men broke quickly away from the troop and advanced on the stone gargoyles. Numbly, she felt Craigen yank on her arm, trying in vain to pull her away as one of the heavy maces broke down upon the first gargoyle form, reducing it to rubble. "That was the gargoyle that I called Petite... she was the one who taught me to glide," Lisette whispered, tears glistening in her blue eyes as she stared at what was left of her friend. 

"Lisette, we must go! I'm sorry about your friends, but there is nothing that we can do!" Craigen whispered, pity covering his face at the devastated look on his ward. 

Gasping, Lisette watched as yet another of the noble gargoyle clan was reduced to rubble -- this one the second in command's beautiful young mate that was heavy with egg. "No..." Lisette whispered as the mace lifted again, this time over one of the clan's young. "No!" she screamed out, all of her sorrow and disbelief turning into blinding anger. Surprised at the scream that broke the quiet, everyone turned and the mace paused in mid-air. "I warn you now, foolish humans, that if you do not stop in your destruction, there shall be severe consequences!" she screamed once more, shaking off her mentor's restraining hand. 

Surprised, the Roman warrior, now and forever a barbarian in her mind, turned away from the young woman to throw his captain a questioning glance, mace at his side. 

Staring coldly at the young woman, the captain quietly uttered one word: "Proceed." 

Nodding at his superior, the young man raised his mace once more.. which was all the prompting Lisette needed. 

"Arrêt!" she screamed as her eyes began to glow. Startled, the guards and peasants drew back as green energy shot out of the young woman's hands and hit the young warrior, causing him to fall quickly to the ground. As she turned and began dealing out similar blows to the other mace wielders, she began to float a few feet from the ground. 

"A witch!" was the surprised and fearful word that went up throughout the Roman warriors as they jumped for cover from her magical attacks. 

"A witch indeed," the mighty Roman captain murmured as he hid behind a nearby boulder, abandoning his horse to fend for itself. While making sure to keep his body protected from the green rays of magic, he slowly lifted his head above the rock. There he saw Lisette, floating in much the same place, her eyes glowing that same eerie green with her pale blond hair blowing behind her in an unfelt wind. Turning, he saw that already a third of his mighty army was down, either unconscious or dead, and that the rest were taking shelter behind boulders or trees, trying their best to launch a counter attack before they were brought down like their comrades. Turning further, he saw that their prisoners were hiding from the onslaught as well. And then his eyes focused upon the old man that was brought down with the witch. Even now his eyes were riveted to her form, concern etched upon his wrinkled old face. "Thorne!" he barked to one of his soldiers that was hiding behind a nearby oak tree. 

"Yes sir?" 

"I want you to gather all of the men that you can and then follow me! I have a plan..." 

"Sir?" the young man asked, casting a wary glance back into the battle field. 

"Get moving! We need to get over to our prisoners!" the Captain barked, his face cold as he stared back out at the beautiful witch. "We shall end this NOW!" he hissed, his eyes as hard as the granite that his men had been destroying. 

Nodding, the young warrior quickly hurried away and did as he was told, trying to remain shielded from sight at all times. A few minutes later everything was set and ready to go. Turning, the Roman leader nodded once at his troops and as one they stood. "Stop your fighting and surrender to us now, witch, or they shall die!" 

Turning quickly, Lisette looked for the source of the threat, ready for some new targets. What she saw caused her blood to freeze once more. There stood her people, knives and swords pressed against their throats with the Roman barbarians standing behind them. Even worse was that at the front of the group stood the Roman Captain, his own broadsword held tightly against her mentor's throat. "Craigen?!" Lisette gasped, her mind spinning. 

"Like I said, surrender to us now or they all die, starting with the old man!" the Roman captain warned as he tightened his grip. 

As fear choked Lisette, she racked her mind for a way out -- some way to save them all. She couldn't just cast a spell to send the Romans to some other place, for all of the places that she knew of and was capable of sending the army were close by, and that would just eliminate the problem temporarily -- the Romans would be back. No, she had to deal with these Romans once and for all. So what to do if she needed to deal with the enemy but there were innocents in the way? 

"Well?!" 

Steeling her emotions and forcing her face to be impassive, Lisette met the evil Roman's dark stare. "No," was her simple reply. Before anyone could react, Lisette quickly chanted a simple rhyme as green mist shot out of her fingers to surround the group. Seconds later the mist dissipated and all that remained were the baffled Romans with empty hands. You simply have to eliminate the innocents from the equation. Smiling, she was about to perform the same spell on the remaining gargoyle statues so that she could deal with her enemy alone when someone tackled her from behind. Crying out, Lisette and her assailant tumbled to the ground a few feet below, knocking the wind out of her. 

Groaning, Lisette felt a knee shoved into her back, pinning her to the ground as her arms were yanked roughly behind her and secured in place with cold metal. Coughing as the soft dirt entered her lungs and as she tried to regain her breath, Lisette felt rough hands at her back and shoulders as she was lifted to her feet. 

"Now let's see you try your magic with your hands bound, witch!" the Captain growled, angry that even when her clothes were torn, her hair messed, and her tan face smudged by dirt she still managed to look like a goddess. 

"You fool! You think that I need my hands free to use my magic?!" Lisette hissed, preparing herself to launch another magical attack. Suddenly she realized that something was wrong, very wrong. Nothing was happening! She couldn't feel her eyes burn green or the tingle of her magic waiting to be released. 

"You can, can you?" the Captain asked smugly, laughing at her apparent distress. "Did I mention that you are now being restrained with _iron_ cuffs?" 

"So?" Lisette mumbled as she focused on her magic... or lack of it. "What's iron?" 

"What? You don't know about iron?" the Captain laughed, finally capturing Lisette's full attention. "It seems as though I get to teach you first hand about your weakness!" 

"Weakness?" Lisette asked in confusion, a cold trickle of fear running down her back. 

"Yes. Long ago, the ancient Romans, our ancestors, learned that the one weakness to all magic users was to be restrained by iron. For some, even the touch of the iron caused the skin to burn and severe pain.. to others it just caused for their magic to become null and void... as is the case with you," the Captain said with a cold smile. 

"No... this can't be happening!" Lisette cried, shaking her head as she tried even harder to call upon her magic. 

Laughing, the Roman captain turned away from the witch, now nothing more than a harmless young woman. 

"And what do we do now, sir?" one of the older warriors asked as more and more of the downed soldiers slowly climbed to their feet, apparently stricken unconscious by the witch's magical blows. 

Stopping, the Roman captain turned to face the young witch. She hardly looked dangerous now as she struggled in the heavy iron shackles, one of his men on each side holding her arms tightly. "Destroy the remaining statues," he finally replied coldly, an evil glint in his eye as he watched the witch jump into action once more. 

Quickly, Lisette began to struggle fiercely in her captors' grip. "No! Oh God no!" Lisette screamed as she watched a group of men advance on the remaining gargoyles, maces ready. Slowly, gargoyle after gargoyle was destroyed by the flying maces. "No, please stop!" Lisette sobbed, twisting weakly in her captors' grip as her friends were destroyed one by one before her eyes. Soon it became just too much to bear as Lisette's knees gave way, the warriors struggling to keep her standing as she turned her head away from the sight as her tears left trails down her dirty cheeks. 

"Oh no, witch, you must watch your demons be destroyed," the Captain whispered from beside her as he roughly grabbed Lisette by the hair and forced her to watch the destruction, slapping her hard across the face whenever she closed her eyes. 

Soon the destruction was complete and only one gargoyle statue remained: the leader of the clan who sat on the highest tower of the château. Looking up at the sun through a red haze that was caused from a head wound that was inflicted by the captain, she saw that sunset was just moments away. 

Unfortunately, the Roman captain saw this as well. "Well, now... I think we should see if this gargoyle story is just a story or what. Men, I want you to secure as many chains as you can around the statue!" he called up to his warriors that were standing beside the statue. Turning, he then motioned to the two that were guarding the witch and said, "Come on." 

Nodding their heads, the two guards half dragged, half carried the witch between them as they entered the château and climbed the stairs that led up to the tower that housed the remaining gargoyle. 

Feeling more helpless than she ever had before, Lisette could do nothing but watch with tear filled eyes as the sun slowly dipped over the horizon. As the cracks spread quickly throughout the stone form, the Romans stepped back in fear. 

Slowly, the stone particles exploded off of his gargoyle form as the Leader awoke to greet the night... and was stopped by chains. Surprised, the young leader struggled for a moment to no avail before looking down and seeing the destruction below him. "No!" he roared into the dark night sky as his eyes focused on the pile of rubble that sat where his mate once rested. "No!" 

"Leader, I.." Lisette called out as the tears poured down her cheeks and as her heart broke all over again for her friend, the guilt at not being able to stop this destruction welling up within her. 

Surprised, he turned quickly to see himself surrounded by strange men in strange clothing. Suddenly he saw a familiar face. "Lisette?" the leader called out in confusion. "What has happened.. why didn't you use your magic to stop this?!" he cried out. Watching her closely, he saw her flinch visibly at his words. It was then that he noticed the chains and the blood on her face. As a growl split the night and his eyes began to glow white, the young leader called out "Are you..." 

"So, the stories are true," the Roman captain broke in, his face expressionless. "Well then, witch... or Lisette I suppose, your demons are now dead..." 

"You monster!" Lisette screamed, the tears streaming down her cheeks. 

"You are the one who destroyed my clan?" the leader roared as he prepared to charge the man. The chains that bound him held his arms and wings tight against his body, but that didn't restrict his feet or the sharp talons found there. 

Stopping the gargoyle in his place with his words, the Roman captain yelled out, "Your clan is dead, and this witch did nothing to stop the destruction because she preferred to save her own hide!" 

Backing up on his perch, the gargoyle stared at Lisette in confusion, not wanting to believe what the man was saying. But the evidence was right in front of him.. sure Lisette was chained, but she didn't need her hands free to perform her magic. 

"No, I.." Lisette broke in weakly, the tears pouring down her face as she pleaded with the Leader with her eyes. 

"Kill him," the Roman captain broke in quickly. 

"NO!" Lisette screamed. Turning quickly, she kneed one of her guards in his most vulnerable place before elbowing the other one sharply in the nose, causing them both to go down. Then she ran as fast as she could across the tower as she watched two of the Romans run up to the unsuspecting gargoyle and shove him as hard as they could, sending him over the edge of the tower. "No!" Lisette screamed again as she elbowed her way to the edge or the tower and looked over, just in time to watch her friend smash to the ground five stories below. "No," she sobbed in denial as she was quickly surrounded by the Romans once more. Turning her roughly, Lisette found herself staring up into the evil Captain's eyes. "Why? Why did you lie to him and say that?" Lisette sobbed brokenly. 

"Because now your demon died believing that you betrayed his clan to save your own life... he died cursing you!" the Roman answered, laughing at the idea. 

As anger consumed Lisette's being, she did the one thing that she could in her situation.. she spit in the evil man's face. 

Quickly she was repaid with a hard slap across her face, causing her to cry out as she began to fall to the ground. Moving fast, her guards lifted her arms and forced her to stand once more and face the captain. "Thanks to your inexperience and blinding anger, we were able to defeat you today, witch. Because of you, your demon friends are now dead," he said coldly, loving every minute of the pain that flashed across Lisette's face as her entire being was filled with sorrow and guilt and as each word cut her to her very core. Smiling, the Captain moved to the edge of the tower and looked below at his troop of men milling below in the courtyard. "Hurry men, we leave immediately!" 

"To where, sir?" one of the younger men called up from below. 

"To the city of Reims..." 

"But what of the other prisoners, sir? They're gone!" another of the men called out, looking about in the darkness. 

"Yes, and the witch probably sent them far away from us," the Captain agreed, sending a cold look at the witch. Looking at her though, he quickly saw that he would get no more reaction out of her. She stood with her head tilted down, her long blond hair hiding her face, and her shoulders sagging down: the perfect picture of defeat. "It matters not. We have something even better... a witch to be burned at the stake!" he yelled out, causing a cheer to go up throughout the crowd of men. "Move out!" he ordered a few minutes later, after everyone and thing were gathered and ready to head out. Lisette, heavily guarded and surrounded, was placed somewhere in the middle. 

And so they did. The group traveled by day -- leaving before the sun rose and making camp after night fell -- always moving. As for Lisette, she ignored everyone and thing, so filled with guilt and remorse that she didn't even care that she was marching to her own demise. 

That was fine for the Romans though, because they were so afraid of the 'witch' that they kept their distance -- except for the Roman captain. Every chance he could he would be at her side, taunting and tormenting her in hopes of a reaction. In all honesty, he couldn't help it. She was so beautiful that he couldn't help but want to spend his every free moment with her -- which infuriated him all the more. He blamed it on Lisette of course, believing that she had cast some sort of spell that caused the attraction. 

One night, the Roman captain decided that the witch's temptation was too much to bare and decided to act on it... 

The hour was late as the Captain finally gave up on sleep -- the woman, as always, most on his mind. Throwing his blanket aside, the Captain slipped on his clothes and then left the stuffy tent for the cool summer night air. Walking aimlessly, the Captain nodded at the occasional night watchman before finding himself in front of the heavily guarded prisoner's tent. Without even knowing what he was doing, the Captain then waved the guards away -- who left with knowing looks, figuring that the witch was about to receive another nightly beating. 

Moving as though in a dream, the Captain very slowly pulled back the tent flap, revealing the witch huddled in her chains within the tent. As like all of the times before, the young woman didn't even stir as he stepped into the tent. With that same blank look on his face, the Captain slowly knelt before her. "You did it, didn't you?" he whispered harshly, his hot breath on her impassive face. "You cast some sort of spell on me, so that I can't get you out of my mind, didn't you?!" he rasped, pushing closer still. When he still got no response, his anger flared to an all time high... and his lust as well. "Fine then, witch!" the Captain hissed as he shoved Lisette onto her back. "I give into your damn spell! I'll give you what you want!" he yelled out as he whipped off his belt and straddled the witch. 

It was at this point and time that Lisette finally broke out of her self-imposed isolation and became aware of her environment for the first time in days -- she didn't like what she saw. "Get off of me!" Lisette screamed, instantly bucking her hips, causing the surprised Captain to roll off of her. Moving quickly, Lisette stumbled to her feet, her arms still tightly bound behind her as she rushed over to the unsuspecting Captain, catching his chin with her knee. 

Crying out, the Captain backed away and touched his chin gingerly. "You _witch_! I was just giving you what your spell demanded of me!" 

"What are you talking about?!" Lisette yelled, barely able to believe what she just prevented. And here she thought that things couldn't possibly have gotten any worse. 

"You put me under some damn spell so that I can't get you out of my mind!" the Captain roared before he charged Lisette. 

Unable to move fast enough in the heavy iron chains, Lisette was easily tackled, causing her to cry out in pain as she landed on her bound hands. "Get off of me!" Lisette screamed as she began to twist and squirm violently under the Captain. "Use your head, I couldn't have cast that spell! I've been bound in iron chains!" 

Those words seemed to knock some sense into the Captain as he backed away quickly. Before he could respond, the tent flap opened behind him, revealing her guards and a couple of the night watch as well. "Is everything all right in here, sir?" one of the guards asked as he eyed the scene: Lisette lying on the ground, her dress even more torn and the Captain breathing heavily before her, his belt lying on the ground. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had been going on. 

Without saying a word, the Captain looked once more at Lisette before leaving the tent. That was really the last that she ever did see of him, for he never again came to taunt and torment her. And never again did Lisette withdraw into herself in order to hide from the pain of her memories. From that point on, Lisette decided that she would rather face reality and deal with everything as it happened. And that's exactly what she did those last few days of the journey to Reims: attempt to cope and deal with her tremendous guilt and pain at losing everything that matter in the world to her.. at least Craigen was safe. 

After their arrival, there was a quick hearing at which Lisette was declared a witch. And then it was time to burn... 

As Lisette stared out at the mob of people that laughed and jeered at her, she couldn't help but wonder about the direction her life had taken as she struggled uselessly against her iron bonds. "Such is life," she muttered as a masked man stepped forward with a burning torch in hand. Inside the mask, Lisette knew that the man was smiling as he bent low and lit the piles of hay that were scattered below her pole that she was tied to, on fire. 

Coughing as the thick black smoke drifted up, Lisette began to struggle fiercely against her bonds -- all to no avail. In a matter of seconds the fire blazed and the hot scorching heat began to sear her skin. A second later her dress caught on fire and her skin began to burn under the onslaught. As Lisette began to scream in agony, a fine blue mist enveloped her burning form. When it dissipated, the crowds, smoke, sunlight, and pole were gone as Lisette tumbled to a hard, stone floor. Unfortunately, the fire was still there. Screaming as the fire climbed higher, Lisette thrashed and rolled on the stone floor, trying to put out her dress. 

"Oh mon Dieu!" a voice called out, as though heard from far away. 

Suddenly a large blanket was thrown over her body as gentle hands patted out the fire. Crying at the flashes of pain she felt on her burned skin, Lisette felt a yanking on her arms before a release and then the cold iron was gone. Confused, but in too much pain to care, Lisette felt the gentle hands at her back once more as she was turned on her back. Opening her eyes, Lisette saw that she was lying in some sort of cavern... and then a familiar face came into sight. "Craigen!?" Lisette gasped as pain flared around her legs once more, the tears pouring down her cheeks. 

"Yes, child, it is I," Craigen soothed as he took Lisette's small hand in his. 

"Craigen... my legs!" Lisette gasped, fighting against the pain. 

"I know, I know.. you are free from your bonds, and now you must change your form into that of a gargoyle once more, so that stone sleep may heal you," Craigen whispered softly as he averted his eyes from her badly burned legs, the bruises covering her face and arms, and her thin form as he met his ward's scared blue eyes instead. 

"Oh Craigen, the gargoyles..." Lisette sobbed, remembering all that she had witnessed. 

"Hush, I know Lisette. We'll talk later, but now you must rest," Craigen urged, a tear burning in his eyes at all of the horrors that his girl must have faced in the last week. 

Nodding her head, Lisette weakly gathered all of the magic she could manage before casting the transformation spell. It was evident just how weak and wounded she was by how long the transformation took and by how much she had to struggle to go through with it. Fortunately, though, she was changed to a gargoyle and then to stone. 

As the sun set over the horizon later that day, the stone skin surrounding Lisette's gargoyle body cracked and then broke away. Roaring, she awoke on the cold stone floor of a cavern, completely disoriented and confused. Without even thinking, Lisette shifted back into her human form and looked down at the stone particles littering the floor. "I've never slept in stone before..." Lisette whispered in amazement at her stone skin. "But why..." Lisette trailed off as all of her memories of the past week or so came crashing back. Gasping, Lisette quickly lifted the bottom of her skirts, revealing her smooth, unmarked legs. 

"Lisette?" 

"Craigen?!" Lisette yelled, searching desperately for her mentor, panic squeezing her heart. 

"In here, child!" 

Turning, Lisette saw a shaft of flickering light that seeped out from another chamber. Picking up her skirts, shee ran across the dark cavern and into the chamber where a strange sight greeted her. The new chamber was relatively small with hundreds upon hundreds of brightly lit candles placed about, particularly next to a high slab of stone that sat in the middle of the room. Cringing at the fire, Lisette saw her mentor standing beside the slab of stone, spell book in hand. "Oh, Craigen!" Lisette sobbed, releasing all of the emotions that had been bottled up as she ran into her mentor's embrace. "They're dead... all of the clan is dead..." 

"I know child..." 

"I couldn't stop them, Craigen... it's all my fault..." Lisette cried, her tears soaking Craigen's long white beard. 

"No, it's not..." 

"I let my anger blind me and then they used something called iron on me, which caused my magic to leave me!" 

"Shh, I know Lisette," Craigen comforted as he smoothed her long blond hair. "But it's not your fault, you did all that you could..." 

"But they're dead..." 

"And I along with the other château inhabitants are alive, thanks only to you and your quick thinking." 

"But..." 

"It was very smart of you to transport us to the lake like that... although it did take us till morning to get back to the château," Craigen said with a small smile. In honesty, it was nothing to smile about. Because of that delay, Craigen was a good day behind Lisette and the army as they traveled, meaning that he didn't make it to the crowded square of people in Reims until the hay beneath Lisette was already lit on fire, causing her to be badly burned. 

"Yes, but..." 

"Hush now, Lisette, right now I need for you to get up and lie here on this slab," Craigen interrupted as he helped Lisette up and then forced her to lie down. 

"What?... But why, Craigen?" Lisette asked in confusion as she began to feel groggy. 

"The world is no longer safe for you my child... the people of Gaul believe you to be a witch.. not even the people that you saved at the château would come and help me to save you... you're no longer safe here, and until the world is once more safe, you must sleep," Craigen said quietly with a sad smile. 

"Craigen, I..." Lisette started, the tears pooling in her eyes as she no longer found the energy to lift her arms or head. _He must have cast the spell before I entered_, Lisette thought as her eyes remained fixated on Craigen's kind old face. 

"There are about ten coins in the pot by the wall, and we're sealed in, so you'll have to use your magic to get you out once you awaken..." 

"No," Lisette whispered as a tear drifted down her cheek. 

"Lisette... be careful and always remember that I have always loved you as my daughter..." 

"Please don't leave me Craigen..." Lisette whispered one last time as darkness stole over her vision and Craigen's face disappeared from view. 

"I... love you," Craigen gasped as the spell took hold and Lisette fell into a timeless sleep. At the same time, Craigen felt his heartbeat slow as he fell to the cold stone floor. He had used all of his magic and energy to cast the sleep spell, and now was left with nothing. His dying thoughts were of his adopted daughter, Lisette, for whom he died to save. 

Present time and day 

As the minutes ticked by, Brooklyn finally gave into his concern and hesitantly laid a hand on her small shoulder. "Lisette?" 

"He used everything he had to cast that final spell and must have died there by my side.. for when I awoke two years ago, I found his dusty remains on the floor by my side," Lisette whispered, another tear trailing down her cheek. 

"Oh God Lisette.. I.." Elisa trailed off, her own eyes filling with tears at the thought of this young woman being put through such horrors. 

Holding up her hand to stall the comments, Lisette continued. "After I awoke, I used the coins that Craigen had left to me.. now worth a fortune, to reenter this strange new world," Lisette said with a small smile, struggling to push what she just relived to the furthest corners of her mind. 

"And what 'ave ye been doin' this last year then, lass?" Hudson asked as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

"I've actually spent the last year on a computer and in front of the television trying to catch up on all that I've missed these last 1000 years!" Lisette said, laughing at the idea. "And that's a lot to catch up on!" 

Smiling softly, Brooklyn moved closer to the hospital bed that housed the young woman, who seemed all the more vulnerable after hearing of her tragic past. After all, many of the experiences that she faced were similar to the same tragedies that filled Brooklyn's past. Then again, unlike Lisette, he never had to face these tragedies alone -- and he didn't have to watch the destruction of his clan either. "Lisette, I'm sorry," he whispered sadly as he laid one of his brick red hands on her good shoulder. 

"As am I for your loss," Lisette replied quickly with a sad smile. "I'm not anything special.. you have gone through this all as well, so don't feel pity for me..." 

"If anything, you have to be special because you're definitely not normal!" Brooklyn interrupted before thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth though, he blushed fiercely, causing his brick coloring to turn an even darker shade of red. 

"The sun will be rising soon," Goliath spoke up, saving his second from further embarrassment. "You are welcome to stay with us as long as you wish," he finished, sending a small smile in Brooklyn's direction. 

Smiling up at the large gargoyle, Lisette whispered, "Thank you," before redirecting her stare back down at the hospital bed she was sitting on. 

"Ach, let's be goin' then.. tis been a long night," Hudson muttered as he turned and slowly left the room, headed for the cool night air. 

"Good idea... my shoulder is killing me!" Lisette agreed, her thick French accent blending the words as she slowly swung her legs out over the side of the bed. 

"And where do you think you're going?" Elisa asked, instantly by her side in case she needed assistance as she tentatively stood up on her weakened legs. 

"To rest and heal," Lisette answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

It made sense to Elisa. After all, she wouldn't want to spend the day in an infirmary when she could be elsewhere. "Uh, Owen?" Elisa prompted as she looked over at the manservant. 

Picking up on his cue, Owen stepped forward and said, "If you'll follow me, ma'am, I'll show you to one of the spare rooms of the castle." 

"That would be nice.. but maybe later, I'll be going with the others right now," Lisette replied as she slowly began walking towards the door, heading in the direction that Hudson had taken. 

The clan exchanged quick glances before Angela spoke up. "Okay, but let me help you.. that shoulder wound is very bad and you must be weak from it!" she called out, concern touching her voice as she stepped forward and supported Lisette on one side. 

Smiling her thanks, the two young women slowly left the room, with the trio talking up a storm behind them. Next went Owen, who turned off in a different direction.. most likely to inform Xanatos and company of their latest 'guest.' And then came Elisa and Goliath. 

"So what do you make of our new friend?" Goliath asked quietly, his eyes focused on the five young people ahead of them. 

"She seems sweet and kind, definitely brave... but also someone who's seen more than her fair share of pain," Elisa answered slowly. 

"Well, Angela seems to like her," Goliath remarked as he watched his daughter tilt her head back in laughter at something Lisette must have said. It would be good for her to have a female companion of her own age.. someone to talk with. 

"And Brooklyn as well," Elisa replied with a knowing smile. 

"Aye, that he has," Goliath agreed as he linked his rather large arm with Elisa's. I just hope that this one doesn't end the same as with the others." 

Smiling up at her love, Elisa squeezed his arm gently before saying, "Don't worry, Big Guy, I have a feeling that it's mutual this time." 

Turning, Goliath looked once more at the trio plus two and saw the not-so-subtle looks that Lisette and Brooklyn kept giving each other when they thought that the other wasn't looking. "Well, what do you make of her mother?" 

At this a small frown appeared on Elisa's face. "I'm not sure... as far as I know, magic for humans is taught, but this seems to be inherited.." 

"Do you think that her mother was fey? I mean, green magic, no spell book, weakness to iron?" 

"I'm not sure.. later I'm going to have Puck help me test just how powerful she is, but from what I can sense from her, she's very powerful indeed. Which means that you can bet I'm going to do a little digging to see who exactly, if anyone, was fooling around with a human back then!" Elisa murmured as a yell from ahead caught her attention. 

"Oh!" Lisette cried out suddenly as her legs gave out beneath her, leaning heavily on Angela. 

Reacting instantly, Brooklyn quickly moved beside her and easily lifted her up into his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern covering his features as he looked at his new friend. 

Smiling weakly at her savior, Lisette said, "Yes, I guess I am just not as strong as I thought.." 

"I'll just carry you then," Brooklyn replied with a grin as he set off once more for the parapets where they rested for the day, the three other gargoyles following behind, large smiles on their faces. 

"I think that Brooklyn likes her," Broadway whispered, stepping next to Angela. 

"Oh you think so, do you?" Angela asked with a coy smile. "Well, I for one am very happy for him... Lisette seems to be very nice!" 

"And now maybe he'll finally leave us alone!" Broadway replied, returning Angela's smile. 

Laughing, Angela punched him lightly on the shoulder as she stepped ahead of him and walked out into the moon lit night. Feeling the warm breeze on her up turned face, she couldn't help but wonder at how perfect things were starting to look.. not only did they have a new friend staying with them, but she was female, her age, nice, and Brooklyn liked her. Things were definitely beginning to look up. Still smiling, Angela hopped up onto her perch and turned to watch Brooklyn and their new friend. 

Ever so slowly, Brooklyn moved forward across the hard stone until he stood before his daily perch, throwing occasional glances at Lisette's large blue eyes every so often. 

Noticing Brooklyn's attention, Lisette couldn't help but smile softly to herself. This wasn't the first nor the last time that she would receive such attention; still, the knowledge that the attention would be short lived stopped her from taking the thought any further. She had dreamed of love before with both human and gargoyle suitors -- but always her heart was broken when the poor fools who thought they were in love learned of the true nature of her heritage -- she never expected anything different any more... although Brooklyn _did_ already know of that heritage and he _was_ an extremely handsome gargoyle that _did_ seem to be a nice guy. Shaking her head, Lisette decided to stop both their thoughts at once. "The sun is almost up.. you can probably put me down now," she whispered confidentially in her soft French accent. 

Blushing, Brooklyn quickly complied and put Lisette gently on her feet. "Uh.. see you tonight?" he asked as he quickly jumped up onto his own perch, conscious of his clan's eyes on his back. 

"Yes, tonight" Lisette agreed as she glanced at the rising sun -- she had better hurry! Closing her eyes, Lisette quietly mumbled a quick spell to herself as a green mist surrounded her form. 

Surprised, Brooklyn watched as the green dissipated, leaving a gargoyle in Lisette's place.. a very beautiful gargoyle. As she turned those same deep blue eyes on him, a large smile covered her face as she jumped up onto the parapet beside him. Before he could utter a word, the sun came up over the horizon, freezing the look of shock on his face. 

Smiling, Elisa turned away from her love's stone statue and moved closer to the two gargoyles that caught her eye. So, the new friend to the clan could change forms into that of a gargoyle.. interesting. Yes, things were sure to change around the castle now, but change was not always bad. It was true that things would be more complex with another magic wielder around, more difficult to contain her secret if Lisette got curious. Then again, the situation just became 100% better for Brooklyn. As her smile widened, Elisa looked at the look of utter and complete shock that covered Brooklyn's stone form as he looked at the stone statue of the new gargoyle.. shock and something else. And then she turned to face the new gargoyle.. she was beautiful and when one looked closer, it quickly became evident that the gargoyle in fact was none other than Lisette, with the same facial structure, bone structure, only with added inches, wings, tail, talons, and a loin cloth and halter top, similar to Demona's. "Things are definitely looking up for my little clan," Elisa finally whispered as she turned away from the stone statues and began walking towards the door to the Great Hall; she needed to get some sleep. 

Just as she reached the large door, it suddenly came open and banged against the side wall. Surprised, Elisa stepped back quickly, relieved when she saw who it was. "Xanatos, Owen," Elisa greeted as she moved around them and continued on her way. 

"Detective," Xanatos greeted as he allowed her to pass by and then continued walking with Owen. "So, my friend, where is the young woman, Lisette, that you were just telling me so much about?" 

"Try the parapets!" Elisa called back over her shoulder, overhearing Xanatos' question as the elevator dinged open and she stepped inside. 

"The parapets?" Xanatos questioned, quirking his eyebrows at his manservant. 

Shrugging his shoulders in response, Owen replied, "She stated that she was going with the gargoyles.. perhaps Miss Lisette wanted to see the gargoyles turn to stone?" 

"Perhaps," Xanatos replied, a calculating frown appearing on his face as they continued walking towards the stone forms of the gargoyles. "So I ask once again," Xanatos continued as they walked up onto the stone battlements where their gargoyle friends were sleeping, "where is this new friend to the gargoyles?" 

"I don't know sir," Owen replied with a frown. "I doubt that young Lisette would be wandering around the castle with her arm hurt as it was." 

"Well, she has to be somewhere!" Xanatos said in exasperation as he backed up till he was leaning against the stone parapets. Turning his head, Xanatos looked first off to the right at the towering form of Brooklyn. "I wonder what was on his mind as the sun caught him," Xanatos murmured as he took in the frozen look of shock on the young second's face. Smiling, he then turned around and looked to his left... and then jumped away from the parapets in shock. "I thought that you said that she was human!" he accused as he looked at the unfamiliar gargoyle that was frozen next to Brooklyn, a large smile on her face. 

"Part sir. It seems as though her father was human and her mother was something else... something magical but definitely not gargoyle," Owen answered, a frown covering his features as he studied the statue. It was definitely Lisette, even with the changes, that much was evident. "She  
was human when I left her side." 

"Well, she's definitely not human now," Xanatos muttered, stating the obvious as he moved closer to study his guest. She was a beautiful gargoyle, meaning that she would most likely be just as beautiful as a human.. but young as well. From the lineless planes of her face, he wouldn't place her age over that of twenty-two years old. "How old did you say she was again?" 

"Nineteen, sir," Owen answered as he stepped beside his boss and stared up at the young gargess. 

"And about how old would you guess Brooklyn and Lexington's ages to be in human years?" Xanatos asked, a small smile forming on his face as he stared up at the looks that the two statues were directing at each other. 

"I would guess about her age to a little older.. no more than 22 years old for Brooklyn, and probably about 17 years of age for Lexington." 

"I see," Xanatos answered, the smile growing. 

"And as you can see, Mr. Xanatos, Brooklyn and our new guest have hit it off quite well." 

"Very interesting.. not only do we have a new addition to our little 'family,' but also a magic wielder that is strong enough to shift her form to that of a gargoyle. Not to mention that things should be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of the attraction between these two.. speaking of her magic though, she must be pretty powerful in order to change her form like she has.. correct?" Xanatos asked, another calculating gleam in his eyes. 

"Pretty powerful," Owen agreed. 

"At what point would you put her power level? She's not stronger than you, is she?" Xanatos questioned as he finally turned away from the statues and started heading back towards the Great Hall. 

"I can't say for certain without testing her magical ability, first, but from what I can sense, her power level is definitely close to that of the Puck's... but without any training besides that from a human wizard, I imagine that she is further behind than what she should be and is incapable of reaching her full potential at this point and time." 

"Hmm... and do you think that you will get an opportunity to test this?" Xanatos questioned as he began heading towards his office. 

Smiling a hidden smile that Xanatos couldn't see, Owen replied slowly, "I believe that Detective Maza will be requesting my assistance in such a test shortly." 

**To be Continued**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	7. New Beginnings -- Part Two

New Beginnings Part Two

**"New Beginnings -- Part Two"**  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 8/20/98

Revised on: 7/20/98

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney while some of the words used within are taken from "An den Mond" (To the Moon) and "Wenn ich ein Vögel wär" (If I a Bird Could Be), two German folk songs that were arranged by William Bausano. In no way will a profit be made from this.

Author's Note: This story is the second part of the fifth installment to the Talika Series and a thanks to Skydancer for some of the quotes used within. 

Brief Summary: The forgotten past is about to resurface its ugly head for Talika and the clan.

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

**_New Beginnings -- Part Two_**

Castle Wyvern – sunset 

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the eight gargoyle statues began to crack and then slowly explode with light as they awoke to greet the dark night. Yawning, Lisette marveled once more in the feeling of her stone skin exploding off of her; something that was only experienced once before under more serious circumstances. Turning, Lisette saw that the expression that Brooklyn had carried into sleep was still plastered on his face. 

"Lisette?!" Brooklyn asked in amazement as he stumbled down from his perch and away from his new friend in shock. In place of Lisette's lithe human form now stood a very gargoyle counterpart -- the most beautiful gargoyle Brooklyn had ever seen. He couldn't help but notice the beauty: her long blond hair billowing out behind her and the moon light caressing her pale blue skin. 

Ignoring Brooklyn's gasp, Lisette hopped down from the parapets and turned her attention to her wounded shoulder. Slowly, she gently ripped the tape that held the bandage in place. Turning her shoulder into the moonlight, all that was revealed was smooth, pale blue skin. "All better, she murmured in relief. 

"But.. how?" Brooklyn gasped as he continued to stare unabashedly at the gargoyle before him, barely aware of the others gathering behind him. 

As her smile widened, Lisette couldn't help but fill the dark night with her soft and tinkling laughter. "What better way to heal a wound then to rest in stone hibernation?!" 

"You can change yourself into a gargoyle?!" Angela asked. 

Turning around quickly, Lisette realized for the first time what a crowd she had gathered. Smiling, she nodded and then replied, "Yes, at a young age I taught myself how to change.. so eager I was to join the other gargoyles gliding in the night air." 

"Do you.. do you change often?" Lexington spoke up from her other side as he stared up at her in awe. 

"Well, to be honest, last night was the first time that I had changed since I awoke..." 

"Very interesting." 

Surprised at the unfamiliar voice, Lisette turned quickly and saw a stranger standing slightly behind Goliath and Hudson. The human was tall for human standards with long brown hair tied back in a band, a brown goatee, and black clothing. He was a handsome man with a beautiful red head with a tattoo around her eye standing beside him. 

Noticing his young guest's surprise and nervousness, Xanatos quickly stepped forward and extended his hand. "I am David Xanatos, the owner of the castle." 

"I am pleased to meet you, Monsieur Xanatos," Lisette said shyly, smiling slightly as she changed her form back to her human counterpart and stepped forward to take his offered hand.  
  
Trying to hide his surprise at the quick change, Xanatos shook the young woman's hand firmly. He had been correct. A beautiful gargoyle made for a beautiful human. 

"And my name is Fox, David's wife," Fox spoke up, elbowing her husband to the side so that she could get a good look at their new guest. 

"Hello," Lisette replied, taking Fox's hand next. The handshake was all that she needed to feel the strength that was well hidden behind the beautiful face. 

"Xanatos," Goliath interrupted, stepping forth into the circle, a wary look on his face. "Is there something that you wanted?" 

"Just to meet and welcome our new guest to the castle, Goliath," Xanatos answered smoothly, eyeing Lisette out of the corner of his eye. 

"Well, if you're done welcoming her, we should probably go on patrols now, right Goliath?" Brooklyn asked, unconsciously stepping in between Lisette and Xanatos as he eyed the billionaire. 

"You're right, Brooklyn. We can't forget our duty to the city," Goliath agreed, surprised at the sudden commitment to patrol that Brooklyn never quite had before. "Lexington and I will patrol to the North. Brooklyn, I want you, Broadway, and Angela to go on patrol in the East..." 

"And what about me?" Lisette spoke up, worried that his instructions were heading where she thought they were. 

"You may stay here with Hudson and Bronx to.. help protect the castle and rest up. We should be back by three or four..." 

"Goliath, I am completely healed and more than capable of going on patrol with you and your clan.. if you'd let me," Lisette quickly broke in, knowing that it was rude but knowing all the more that she didn't want to spend the evening locked up in the castle. "Besides, I would like to see some more of this New York City -- and I always helped my old clan out with patrols, so I might as well help your clan as well," Lisette pleaded. 

Growling slightly in indecision, Goliath stared at her frail human form. Unable to see anything but her smallness and unable to think about anything beside the fact that she would just get in the way. 

Seeing this, Lisette quickly spoke up in her defense, "Goliath, just give me this chance to prove myself.. to prove that I can be of assistance to your clan..." 

"Goliath, I hate to get involved in your clan's business," Xanatos interrupted Lisette, sending an apologetic glance in her direction, "but there's already enough rumors and stories flying around about you guys. If you started to become associated with magic and the like.. well, let's just say that it wouldn't be any good for the PR." 

Sighing, Goliath smiled sadly at Lisette and said, "I hate to say it Xanatos, but you may be correct on this one." 

"But I can handle myself and anyone else just fine without using my magic. Will you let me go if I promise only to use it in emergencies?" Lisette prodded, crossing her fingers behind her back and pleading with Goliath with her large blue eyes. 

Growling in indecision, Goliath looked back and forth between Xanatos and Lisette, unable to decide if he could trust her. 

Seeing his leader's indecision, Brooklyn decided to speak up. "Listen, Goliath, why don't we give her a chance? I mean, I'll go on patrol with her and keep an eye on her, judge her capabilities at handling herself, and take responsibility for her." 

Sighing, Goliath grudgingly began nodding his head. "Fine. Broadway, I want you and Angela to still cover the East end of town, and I want Brooklyn and Lisette on the West end." 

Lisette couldn't help the large smile that lit up her face as she turned to Brooklyn and mouthed her thanks before quickly changing her form once more back to a gargoyle. 

"Don't forget that if anyone needs any help, to just radio for assistance," Goliath reminded everyone, sending a special look at Brooklyn before turning and gliding off into the night sky, Lexington on his heels. 

Shrugging their shoulders, the remaining gargoyles dove into the night sky together before breaking off in opposite directions. Shaking his head, Hudson murmured something to himself before he turned and headed back into the castle, Bronx at his heels. 

Smiling at the old warrior, Fox turned back to her husband and noticed that same calculating look on his face that she hadn't really seen since Goliath and he had settled the score and became allies. Instantly she became alert and asked, "David, what are you thinking now?" 

Not missing the condescending note in his wife's voice, Xanatos smiled at his beautiful wife. "Nothing quite yet, my love, but after Puck gets a reading on Mademoiselle Lisette's power level, we can always work from there." 

"David, it took you so long to regain Goliath's trust... I wouldn't do anything foolish to betray that now," Fox warned as she linked arms with her husband and began moving back into the castle. 

"Don't worry, I promised myself and Goliath that I would never again do anything to harm or betray Goliath or his clan again..." 

"That's good.." 

"But then again," Xanatos broke in, interrupting his wife, "Lisette isn't a part of that clan and what Goliath doesn't know won't hurt him." 

Somewhere over Manhattan 

As the warm wind carried the two gargoyles high into the night sky, a comfortable silence fell between them. The night was beautiful, the breezes just right, so what else needed to be said? Smiling softly to herself, Lisette couldn't help the occasional glances that she kept taking in Brooklyn's direction. Not only did this gargoyle save her life the other night, but he was also kind, handsome, and brave enough to stand up to his leader in her defense. It was because of him that she was to be given this chance to prove herself to the clan tonight. And because of that, she would do her best to prove to everyone that she was more than capable of taking care of herself -- without the aid of her magic. 

Turning her head, Lisette decided to question Brooklyn about the thing that had been foremost on her mind all evening: his relationship with Angela. It was obvious to her from the start that if something wasn't going on between the two right now, then it had in the near past. If that was the case, she didn't want to be trudging on delicate territory... what was she thinking? Such a question was unnecessary, because even though Brooklyn was showing interest now, that didn't mean that it wouldn't change soon enough. After all, love had never panned out for her before.. and plus no one could forget how horribly she had let down her last clan. Still... there was no harm in asking. Gathering all of her courage, Lisette turned her head once more towards Brooklyn and said, "What is..." 

Just as Brooklyn turned to her and stated, "Were you..." 

Both of the gargoyles stopped immediately, the color rising in their cheeks. Finally, they both broke into laughter. "I am sorry, Brooklyn, what were you going to say?" Lisette asked, smiling shyly. 

Smiling, Brooklyn was about to reply when they heard a cry from down below... a woman's voice screaming out for help. With glowing eyes and without another word being said between the two, they both immediately began to dive to a nearby rooftop. Straining, they both leaned dangerously far over the side of the building and into the alley below. There they saw a group of punks that were surrounding a helpless young woman in the alley. The fear was evident on her face.. as well as the look of perverse pleasure of the gang. 

Turning, Brooklyn quickly looked over at Lisette and whispered, "You wanted to prove yourself to the clan? Well, now's the time!" Then, without another word or look to see if Lisette was following, Brooklyn dove down to the alley, landing right behind the gang. 

As he pounded to the pavement, the group jumped and turned around in surprise, weapons ready. For a moment, they paused in indecision, staring at his sharp talons and glowing eyes. Then, an evil grin lit up one of their faces as he called out to his buddies, "Looks like we get to do a little exterminatin' for the city, boys!" 

At their friend's call, the group all began to smile and advance slowly on Brooklyn, swinging their weapons back and forth. Suddenly, they heard another thud on the pavement, once more from behind them. Surprised, they turned and saw another of the demons behind them -- this one was definitely a female judging from the curves. Still, that didn't stop her from looking ferocious with red glowing eyes and a fierce stance. Turning back and forth, it didn't take long for the group to realize that they were now boxed in. Turning as one, they all stared at their leader, who was now busy holding a gun to the young woman's head. Noticing their reluctant look, the leader quickly barked, "Three of you go at the red one and the other three can take the female! Now attack!" 

Without another word, the punks did just as ordered as they closed the distance between them and the demons. But like any untrained warrior, their first mistake was attacking one at a time. As Lisette stood her ground, the first of the punks charged her, brandishing his knife as he ran. Sighing, Lisette realized that fighting tactics evidently hadn't changed much in the last thousand years.. at least not out in the streets. As the guy drew closer, she easily dodged the attack by moving quickly to the side and then used her tail to knock the guy in the back, effectively sending him and his knife flying to the ground. 

Without missing a beat, another one took the cue and began to charge. Seeing the attack coming, Lisette quickly used her powerful leg muscles to jump right over him. While in mid-air, she also managed to reach down and snatch the chain he was swinging at her as she landed gracefully behind him. Startled, he turned around quickly and stared in amazement as she proceeded to break his chain in two pieces. Before he could launch another attack, she then punched him in the face, sending him flying across the alley where he hit the wall and fell to the ground unconscious. 

Grinning, Lisette watched as the guy slumped to the ground when suddenly her sharp hearing picked up a sound from behind her. Acting on reflexes, she quickly ducked to the ground and turned, just missing the lethal swipe of a lead pipe that the remaining punk swung at her like a bat. Growling at the close call, Lisette reached forward and pulled the pipe from the guy's hand, bending it in half before she swished her tail around and swiped his feet out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. Before he had a chance to react, she then quickly lifted him up from the ground and threw him into a nearby dumpster with enough force that the lid fell shut on top of him. 

Though once again before she could congratulate herself too much, another shuffle of feet from behind her caused her to turn quickly. Surprised, she saw that the first punk that she had dealt with was now on his feet with his knife once more in hand. Seeing that he no longer had the advantage of surprise, he lunged quickly with the knife. Gasping, Lisette quickly did three backflips in a row, putting her out of harms way. Roaring, she then jumped up, catching the brick wall in her strong talons before pushing off of that and into the punk. With fangs bared and wings stretched out, Lisette caught him in the front and landed on the ground on top of him. While pinning him to the ground with one hand, she then reached forward and squeezed the hand that held the knife until the punk dropped it, his hand aching -- possibly even broken. Seeing that he was already on the edge of hysteria, Lisette growled once more, her eyes glowing red, scaring him into fainting and unconsciousness. 

Smiling a smile full of fangs, Lisette climbed off of the punk and saw that Brooklyn was just finishing up with his last punk as the kid fell to the ground unconscious. Moving cautiously over, she watched as he then put a talon tentatively to the punk's throat as though checking something. Curious, Lisette was about to comment when a sudden whimpering came to her ears. Surprised, Lisette turned quickly and saw that the leader was still standing against the wall, the young woman in front of him with some sort of metal device pressed firmly to her head. She had forgotten about him. Suddenly, her eyes began to narrow as she watched him then shift the device -- no doubt a weapon of some sort -- till it was pointed at Brooklyn's crouched back. Seeing his intentions, Lisette quickly launched herself at the man, her talons digging into his arm as she pushed it back against the wall. As the device smacked against the wall, the arm jerked suddenly as a loud bang was heard, causing Lisette's ears to ring. 

Surprised, Brooklyn turned quickly at the sound of the gun going off. The first rule of fighting -- never turn your back on an enemy -- and he had forgotten. As he faced where he last saw the leader, Brooklyn expected to see the worst.. either Lisette or the innocent woman lying bleeding on the ground from a gun shot wound. Boy was he surprised. Instead, he saw the young woman sitting on the ground, staring up in horror as Lisette took the gun out of the man's hand and crushed it in one of hers, the other hand at his throat, her talons piercing his skin as little trickles of blood trailed down. 

Staring up at the demon before him, the leader mustered up all of his courage before stating, "You bitch!" 

Growling some more, Lisette flared up her wings, felt her eyes glow an even brighter red, and flashed her sharp fangs at the leader. Just like before, that was all it took for the man to faint in fear. Smiling, she once again cloaked her wings around her and felt her eyes go back to normal as she released her grip on the punk and watched him fall to the ground. Turning, she looked at the frightened woman and knelt down slowly beside her. Smiling her kindest smile and making sure to hide her fangs behind her red lips, Lisette whispered, "Are you okay, Miss? They did not hurt you, did they?" When she got no response, she instantly became worried. "Miss?" 

Suddenly, the woman snapped out of it as she focused on her savior. All she saw was a demon as she screamed in terror. 

Startled, Lisette jumped back against the wall, tripping over the leader and falling on her back as she watched the young woman jump to her feet and run screaming from the alley and into the lighted streets beyond. Panting, Lisette could only stare at where the woman disappeared into the street in shock until Brooklyn stepped into view. Smiling sadly, he extended his hand and pulled Lisette to her feet. 

"All right... did I miss something here?" she murmured, her soft French accent belaying her surprise. 

Smiling at Lisette, Brooklyn merely shrugged and muttered, "Human gratitude." 

Laughing softly, Lisette just shook her head as she turned to survey the gang of humans lying around in the alley. "So what do we do about them?" 

"We call the police station from the air and report what happened... oh, and great job," Brooklyn said, smiling softly at her before turning to climb the wall, quickly taking to the air. 

Smiling at the compliment, Lisette once more surveyed the pile of punks laying about before climbing the wall and launching herself into the night sky after Brooklyn. 

NYPD 23rd Precinct 

Sighing, Elisa stared blankly at the pile of papers and reports piled on her desk, not seeing them or anything else. Try as she might, she just couldn't get focused on her work tonight. Instead, her mind kept wandering back to the mystery of Lisette and her mother. It was driving her crazy... who could the mother be? Suddenly, a flash of movement in front of her eyes caused her to break her reverie and focus on her surroundings. Looking up, she saw that the culprit was none other than her beloved partner, Matt Bluestone. 

Seeing that he had finally caught her attention, Matt moved back until he was once again comfortably slouched in his chair in his desk across from hers. "You know partner, if you would start focusing on the pile of paperwork in front of you that we're supposed to be doing and not the thing that you've been thinking about all night, we may actually get out of here by sunrise," Matt broke in lightly as he began working on his computer once more. 

"I'm trying," Elisa sighed, trying once again to work on the dreaded paperwork. 

"Well what _ has_ been on your mind the whole night?" Matt asked, not even looking up from the screen in front of him. 

Sighing once again, Elisa leaned forward across her desk and whispered, "Last night we gained a new addition at the castle.." 

"Huh?" Matt asked, finally giving Elisa his full attention. 

Making sure that no one was around, Elisa quickly filled Matt in on everything that had happened the night before until he was up to date. As soon as Elisa finished, Matt leaned back slowly in his chair and whistled softly. "Wow. Looks like you did have quite a night last night.." Matt trailed off, sorting though the story in his mind. "But what about Lisette's mother?" he asked, his detective skills causing him to focus in on that particular subject as well. "Do you guys have any idea about her?" 

"That's what I'm going to find out," was Elisa's vague reply. 

"Yeah, well you can find it out later, 'cause right now I'm star-" 

"Uh Matt," Elisa broke in vaguely, her thoughts swirling around her as she stood from the desk and grabbed her jacket, "I need to go to the bathroom..." 

"Hey! But I thought that we were going to go and get some food!" Matt complained as his stomach growled, as if proving his point. 

Smiling at her good fortune, Elisa patted Matt on the back and said, "Go ahead and get your food.. I'll stay here and try and catch up on some book work." 

"But.." 

"Just bring me back something!" Elisa called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs. When she reached the right floor though, she quickly detoured away from the bathroom and instead found the door to the Supply Closet. With that same strange smile on her face, Elisa quickly climbed into the ruins of the clock tower. There, in the privacy of the night, she raised her hands above her head and cast one of many transportation spells that would take her to the throne room of Avalon. "Vocate venti fortunate ex ripae Oberonis et hic navis flugem regate ad orae Avalonis." As she finished casting the spell, the green mists quickly surrounded her and then seconds later dissipated, leaving her exactly where planned. 

"Lady Talika, what a pleasant surprise," Titania greeted from her position on the throne as she stared at her old friend, back in her normal garb of a halter top of old and a skirt made of billowing veils. 

"Queen Titania, Lord Oberon," Talika greeted, smiling up at her old friends. 

"Surely this is not a social call? What may we help you with?" Oberon asked, his voice full of regal dignity as he got right down to business. 

"How true, Lord Oberon," Talika acknowledged, sending a small smile in his direction. "I come to you today with a question that you may be able to help me with," she said softly as she held up her hand and brought up a foot high hologram of Lisette in her human form. "This is Lisette -- a young woman that stumbled upon my clan last night." 

"And you tell us this because.." Oberon prompted, raising his eyebrow in a gesture that clearly said 'get to the point.' 

"Because Lisette is only half human..." 

"Half? Well what is the other half?" 

"That is what I ask of you. I believe that she is half fey." 

"What?!" Oberon asked, disbelief clouding his features as he studied the hologram closer. 

"Now I ask you.. which of your children mothered this woman by a human male back in 979 AD... or perhaps not one of your children but you yourself, Titania?" Talika asked, raising her eyebrows in Titania's direction. 

"How dare you..." 

"Hush my husband..." Titania soothed, laying a gentle hand on her husband's clench fist in order to restrain him. "Talika, the child belongs not to me or one of Oberon's children of Avalon... if anything, I do believe that the woman seems to resemble you more than any of us." 

Instantly Titania resented her words as a deep look of sadness covered Titania's face. "How easily you forget my infertility, Titania," she murmured, trying to bury the pain once more. 

"I don't forget anything... that or the fact that this was not always so." 

"But it was so at the time of this woman's birth." 

"Well I doubt that she is the child of any of my children.. why would you even think this? I assume that she has magical capabilities?" Titania asked, letting the other issue drop -- for now. 

"Yes, but she was trained by a human wizard..." 

"A _human_ wizard?" Oberon scoffed. 

Quickly Talika raised her hand in the air and continued. "Yes, a human wizard. Because of that, her power is not at the level that it should be, but already she has taught herself to change forms at will and is able to sense my magic..." 

"Very interesting, Lady Talika," Oberon interrupted, yawning to show that he wasn't that impressed. "Anything else?" 

"Well as I said, she just came into the picture last night, and I haven't had the chance to test her power and find their true extent yet.." 

"And you came to us with so little information? Lady Talika, I'm surprised at you.. perhaps we can be of some more assistance when you have some more information for us," Oberon said haughtily. 

"Perhaps.." Talika sighed, frustrated that the trip earned her nothing. 

Seeing her friend's frustration, Queen Titania leaned forward and said comfortingly, "I am sorry that we could not aid you Talika, but if this is any assurance, I am almost positive that the mother is no child of mine. None the less, I shall do a little checking with my children. If anything comes of it, you shall be the first to know." 

"And for that I thank you Titania," Talika replied, forcing a small smile. "And if I learn anything new, you shall hear from me as well. Oh, and may I use the aid of the Puck in my search?" Talika questioned, raising her eyebrows at Oberon. 

"But.." 

"Yes, Talika. Puck may aid you with his full capabilities whenever you deem necessary," Titania answered with a smile, interrupting her husband in mid-sentence. 

Nodding her thanks, Talika then raised her hands above her head one last time and reversed the spell, transporting her back to the ruins of the clock tower and into her work clothes once more. Sighing, she then moved slowly back down the ladder and into the hallway, her thoughts drifting over the puzzling question. As she entered the ever busy squad room and crossed it to her desk, she decided to push the question from her mind for the time being. Sighing, Elisa sat once more at her desk and began working once again. 

"Okay, first you disappear for the whole night and then, when you get back, you sit down and go to work like nothing happened?!" 

Surprised, Elisa looked up from her work and across the desk space to Matt sitting opposite of her. "Huh?" she asked, confusion written all over her face. 

"Where have you been all night?!" Matt asked again, snapping the folder shut that he was working on. 

Confused, Elisa looked at the clock mounted on the wall across the squad room. "Three o'clock!" she whispered, groaning at the same time. "Uh, Matt.. I.." Elisa mumbled, racking her brain for an excuse. Looking up, she watched as Matt's scowl turned into a small smile as he chuckled quietly. 

"Don't even bother," he laughed, loving the look of panic on Elisa's face. "I guess that fair is fair after I stuck you with all of the paperwork last night! In any case, I'm heading home for some shut eye." 

"But.." 

"Don't worry, I left you some paperwork as well." 

"But.." 

"It should only take you a half hour to an hour!" Matt interrupted quickly as he turned and began walking away. 

Groaning, Elisa slid further into her chair, her head in her hands. 

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Matt called out, turning around quickly. "When I got back from getting our food, I found this lying on your desk!" he called out as he dug in the inside pocket of his trench coat. Finding what he was looking for, he took out a small box wrapped in silver paper and threw it to Elisa. 

Surprised, Elisa merely stared at the box in her hands as Matt left. Remembering the rose from last night, Elisa smiled softly as she quickly opened up the paper wrapping and then gently opened the box. Inside on a bed of cotton lay a beautifully carved angel ornament made out of crystal. Breathing in awe, Elisa picked up the delicate angel and held it up to the light, watching in amazement as the light played off of the crystal and splashed across her desk. Smiling, she looked back into the box and saw that inside lay a piece of paper underneath the cotton. Setting the angel aside, she quickly took out the note and read the scrawlings slowly: 

_To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower,  
hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour..._

"Goliath," Elisa murmured, smiling even bigger. She didn't know how he did it, but he always did have a way of amazing her. With the scrawled words on her mind, Elisa quickly picked up the angel and put it gently back into the box. Humming a small little tune, she then quickly turned off her computer, shut all of the folders, and then grabbed her keys. She had a certain lavender gargoyle to visit and thank. 

Castle Wyvern -- 3:30am 

"Broadway, Angela," Goliath called out as he glided closer to the open courtyard of Castle Wyvern. With Lexington at his side, he allowed the night breezes to carry him further and further down until his large taloned foot touched gently onto the hard stone floor of the courtyard. Walking closer, he and Lexington joined Broadway and Angela, making a sort of circle against the night air. "How was patrol?" 

"Ah, it was normal," Broadway scoffed as he patted his tummy unconsciously. "We foiled three muggings and two robberies," he bragged, wiggling his eyeridges at Angela. 

Shaking her head, Angela just laughed at his obvious attempt to impress his leader. "Father, how did you and Lexington fare?" 

"Ah, same old same old," Lexington broke in, excitedly jumping from one foot to the other. 

Noticing this, Goliath turned to his young friend and eyed him closely. "Lexington?" he questioned. 

"Ah, Goliath? Are we almost done here.. I kind of promised someone that I'd meet them on-line in a chat room," Lexington said, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. 

Smiling, Goliath just shook his head and chuckled quietly. "Go ahead Lexington, you did well tonight." 

Nodding, Lexington quickly scampered off in the direction of the computer room, no doubt eager to meet his friend. 

"Where is Brooklyn and Lisette? Have they already returned?" Goliath asked, looking around the courtyard for his second and new friend. 

"No, we haven't.." Angela began to answer when a sudden peal of laughter could be heard on the night air. Surprised, all three gargoyles turned quickly and watched as Brooklyn and Lisette glided down to the open courtyard, large smiles on their faces. Smiling to herself, Angela couldn't help but think how _right_ they looked together. Not only did they seem to make each other happy, but they just looked like they were made for each other.. a very handsome couple. 

"Brooklyn, Lisette," Goliath acknowledged with a hidden smile, also noticing the bright tint of Brooklyn's eyes.. something that he and the others hadn't been seeing as much of lately. 

"Hey Goliath!" Brooklyn nodded. Then, without another word, he quickly grabbed a hold of Lisette's taloned hand and began leading her towards the Great Hall. "You've just got to see this!" he was busy saying to her, completely missing the large smiles on everyone's face and the shrug and small smile that Lisette threw to the rest of the clan. 

"Uh, Brooklyn!" Goliath called out to his second, causing him to pause in mid-stride. 

"Yeah Goliath?" he asked innocently, stopping to turn and face his leader. 

"May I speak with you for a minute?" Goliath asked, pointedly informing everyone else that the talk was to be between just the two of them. 

Nodding, Brooklyn let go of Lisette's hand and began walking back towards Goliath, not missing the lost look that covered her face suddenly. 

Noticing this as well, Angela quickly left Broadway's side and bounded up to Lisette. "Come on! You have to see the library!" she called out with a large smile, grabbing on to her taloned hand. 

Smiling at the kindness that Angela was demonstrating to a stranger, Lisette nodded her agreement, and then began running towards the entrance to the castle with Angela, changing back to her normal form in mid-step. 

"Hey.. uh, wait for me!" Broadway yelled after realizing that he was being left alone with Goliath and Brooklyn. Turning, he quickly began to run after the two females.. a sight that would cause anyone to laugh. 

Shaking his head, Goliath turned back to his second in command. "Brooklyn, how did Lisette do this evening?" 

Instantly a large smile lit up Brooklyn's face as he started gushing about the adventures they had during patrol. "Oh man, she was awesome! First we broke up this mugging, and man.. she took three punks out in a matter of minutes, and then she took out the leader who had a gun and a hostage and in the process saved my life cause he was going to shoot me, and then we found..." Brooklyn said, panting as he went through every single thing they did and how great of a job she did. 

Hearing this, Goliath tried to hold back for the longest time. Finally, he couldn't any longer. To Brooklyn's great bafflement, suddenly his serious and mighty leader broke into a huge smile and started to laugh. Confused, Brooklyn stared at Goliath until finally he couldn't stand it any longer. "Uh, was it something I said?" 

Unfortunately for Brooklyn, this question just caused Goliath to laugh even harder. A few minutes later Goliath finally gained control of himself and wiped the tears of laughter away -- it had been quite some time since he had ever laughed that hard. Smiling at Brooklyn, Goliath laid a hand gently on his shoulder and said, "It sounds as though our new guest did an impressive job this evening. Still, I think it may be wise for the clan to.. ah, test her further -- seeing as how the report that you just gave may be the slightest bit biased." 

Finally understanding why Goliath laughed so hard, Brooklyn began to blush fiercely. "Ah, Goliath.." 

"Goliath!" Elisa called out, interrupting Brooklyn as she jogged into the light of the moon. 

"Elisa, what are you doing here so early?" Goliath asked, surprised to be seeing his love so early in the night. 

"I.. kind of left early," Elisa said with a small smile, thinking of how mad Matt would be tomorrow night when he found those reports that he had left for her unfinished. Shaking her head at the thought, Elisa smiled up at her big love and said, "Besides, I need to talk with you." 

Taking the hint, Brooklyn quickly turned around and started heading towards the doors to the Great Hall, calling back over his shoulder, "I'm going to go and find Lisette and Angela!" 

At this, both Elisa and Goliath smiled at each other. Shaking his head, Goliath turned back towards his human love. "You wanted to speak with me?" he asked, unable to resist running a talon through her soft, black hair. 

Smiling, Elisa quickly stood up on tip toes and leaned forward, planting her soft lips against his. Surprised, Goliath merely stood there for a minute before finally reacting by wrapping his own large arms around Elisa, lifting her closer to him. A few minutes later the kiss ended as Elisa pulled away and hopped back to the ground. Breathless, Goliath stared at his love for a few moments more before saying, "What was that for?" 

Shaking her head, Elisa felt yet another smile lift up the corners of her lips. "It's a thank you," she whispered as she stepped up to her love and took his hand gently in hers, her eyes never wavering from his. 

"For what?" Goliath breathed, his eyes caught in her own gaze. 

"For your gift, silly!" Elisa called out with a laugh, breaking the spell as she punched Goliath lightly on the arm. 

"What gift?" Goliath asked, staring down at her in confusion. 

Thinking that it was all some sort of a joke, Elisa laughed. "For the roses last night and the crystal angel tonight..." she trailed off, her smile faltering as she noticed the continued blank expression on Goliath's face. "You did send me the gifts, right?" 

"I am sorry, Elisa, but I did not send anything." 

"Well then, who would have..." 

"It seems as though you, my love, have a secret admirer!" Goliath called out with a small smile. 

Shaking her head, Elisa punched Goliath lightly on the arm once more. "Where's Lisette?" she asked, getting back to the other matter that brought her away from the precinct this early. 

"She's in the library with Angela... Brooklyn took her on patrol with him tonight..." 

"Are you sure that was wise?!" Elisa broke in quickly, worry covering her beautiful face. 

"Don't worry Elisa. Lisette promised not to use her magic unless it was in an extreme emergency," Goliath soothed, taking her hands in his. 

Smiling at his warmth, Elisa said, "Well, how did she do?" 

"Apparently well." 

"And who was judging her?" Elisa asked, starting to get the feeling that she already knew the answer to that one. At Goliath's look of innocence Elisa groaned and said, "Well, if Brooklyn was judging her capabilities, it was no wonder that she did well!" 

Laughing, Goliath said, "Don't worry, Elisa, I'll be testing her tonight anyway." 

"Maybe we both can test her tonight... I want to see the extent of her magical capabilities first, and then the clan can have a crack at her physical ones." 

Nodding his head, Goliath said, "A good idea.. we can gather the clan and then meet in the Great Hall." 

"Okay, but I need to find Owen first.." Elisa began when she heard a shuffling of feet behind her. Turning quickly, she watched with shielded amusement as Owen walked into the light of the moon. 

"I am ready.." Owen began to say when a sudden flash of green blinded Goliath and Elisa. When their eye sight returned to normal, they found Puck floating in place of Owen, "whenever you are!" he finished with a large smile. "I trust that you okayed this with Daddy Oberon first?" he asked, the tiniest bit of fear entering his eyes. 

Rolling her eyes at the little fey, Elisa nodded her head. "Yes Puck, I spoke with him earlier this evening.. although it was actually Queen Titania that made your help a possibility." 

"That's my momma for ya!" Puck called out gleefully as he quickly zipped through the open doors of the Great Hall and into the large room beyond. 

Looking at Goliath, Elisa shrugged her shoulders wearily and followed him into the large room. "Well, I guess that I'll go and get Lisette and the others..." Elisa trailed off as she turned to begin collecting the clan. 

"Why Elisa," Puck broke in as he zipped across the room to hover before her. "To think that with that magic that I accidentally gave to you, you would have figured out how to transport whomever you wish into a room by now!" Puck finished with a large wink. 

Groaning once again, Elisa moved next to Goliath and watched as Puck murmured a spell quietly and began to spin in place rapidly. Suddenly, in a flash of green light Hudson and Bronx appeared in the room.. and then Lexington and Broadway, Xanatos, Fox, and Alex, and then Angela, Brooklyn, and Lisette. All appeared in a matter of seconds and then stood where they appeared, dumbfounded by the sudden change of scenery. Amazingly, Hudson was the first to snap out of it and notice the unusual guest they had with them. "Puck! What are ye doin' 'ere?! Ye're not teaching young Alex, are ye?" 

"Well, no.." Puck answered truthfully, "but Mommy Titania okayed for me to perform a little test this evening." 

"Mother actually let you run free as Puck?" Fox broke in, arching an eyebrow in disbelief. 

"Hey, I'm here aren't I?" Puck asked, showing his annoyance. 

"Well, what is your test that you want to perform?" Xanatos asked, getting to the matter at hand, all the while pretty sure that he already knew what the answer would be. 

"I'm here tonight not only to bless everyone with my presence..." Puck began, ignoring all of the groans of protest, "but also to test and find out young Lisette's magical capabilities." 

"What?!" was the general response throughout the room. 

"Come on!" Puck yelled defensively. "I'm sure that we're all more than just a little bit curious as to see how powerful our new guest really is... not that she could ever be at her full potential right now seeing as how she was only taught by a human wizard," he amended, sending an apologetic look in Lisette's direction. 

"Puck, I don't think that this is something that you should be deciding to do. It's Lisette's choice!" Brooklyn broke in angrily, his eyes flashing white as he stood protectively in front of Lisette. 

"Brooklyn," Elisa interrupted, stepping in front of the trickster, "don't get upset with Puck.. the testing was my idea." 

"What?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief, remaining in front of Lisette. 

"All we'd find out is how strong magically she is right now in comparison to other magic users," Elisa explained calmly, understanding Brooklyn's concern. 

"Brooklyn, it is all right," Lisette broke in quietly, smiling at his kindness as she gently pushed him aside. "I would be honored to be tested by the great Puck." 

Blushing slightly at the compliment, Puck couldn't help but like the new person on the block even more, all the while trying his best to ignore all of the smirking going on by the rest of the people gathered. "Heh, finally someone who respects being in the presence of greatness!" Puck laughed as he floated up to Lisette and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently into the center of the room. Turning, he called out for Elisa to join them there. 

"Why do you need Detective Maza?" Xanatos asked quickly in surprise. 

"Because she now contains a lot of magic due to the mirror fiasco, magic that will help me to determine the power level," Puck answered matter of factly. 

Nodding his head, Xanatos decided that the reason sounded plausible enough.. besides, why would Puck lie to him? Turning, he then watched as Detective Maza left Goliath's side and joined Lisette and Puck in the center of the room. 

Smiling, Puck landed on the ground in front of Lisette and said, "This will only hurt a little." As the shock of his words covered Lisette's face, Puck's smile grew as he quickly put his small hands up to Lisette's temples. Immediately, green energy began to arc out and around between them, his eyes glowing green. 

Seeing this, Elisa quickly stepped up beside them and placed her hands over Puck's, causing the energy to arc between her as well. As everyone watched in amazement, the green energy filled the space around them, till their eyes glowed green and their hair, a mixture of white, blond, and black flowed round. Soon, their feet lifted off the ground as the three as one lifted higher into the air until they were floating near the tall ceiling some fifteen to twenty feet up in the air. 

"Wow," Lexington whispered quietly in awe, his eyes riveted to the three figures floating above them all. 

Amazed like his clan, Goliath only managed a small smile at the younger gargoyle till his sight as well returned to the spectacle before them. There they floated for seconds, minutes, hours.. an eternity for all anyone knew. Time crept by and at the same time flowed by in an instant. All they could think about or see was the sight of the fey trickster, their beloved detective friend, and the new mystery that had popped into their life; all connected by the green energy that marked the third race. 

Soon the people and gargoyles gathered realized that the show was coming to an end as the energy began to lighten in intensity. With their eyes riveted to the sight, everyone watched in awe as suddenly the green energy stopped and all three, Elisa, Puck, and Lisette began falling quickly to the ground. Reacting on pure instinct, three people quickly jumped into action. Moving as fast as he could, Goliath positioned himself underneath the three and easily caught Elisa in his arms. Turning, he watched as Brooklyn did the same and caught Lisette in his. Smiling, Goliath turned to see who had caught the last of the magical three.. and was surprised to see Xanatos sprawled on the ground, Puck lying on top of him. 

Groaning, Xanatos pushed the heavy fey off of him, all the while muttering, "Get off of me!" 

Trying to hold back his laughter, Goliath calmly asked, "Xanatos, is there anything hurt?" 

"Just my pride," David Xanatos muttered with a small smile as he climbed to his feet with the aid of his wife. 

Shaking his head, Goliath turned his attention back to his catch. "Elisa, are you alright?" he asked quickly, concern covering his face. 

Laughing slightly, Elisa motioned for Goliath to put her down and said, "Just fine Big Guy.. oh, and nice catch!" 

Blushing, Goliath quickly complied, noticing that Brooklyn still held Lisette in his arms. "Are you okay?" he whispered quietly to her, his red face slightly pale from the scare he got when he watched her plummet to the stone floor so far below. 

"Oui.. I just don't think that any of us realized that we were floating that high up when they stopped!" Lisette answered with a small grin. 

"Uh.. Brooklyn?" Goliath asked, nudging his second lightly in the side. 

"Huh?" Brooklyn asked, turning quickly towards his leader. It was at that point that Brooklyn and Lisette realized that the entire room was staring at them, smiles vainly hidden on their faces. Turning an even darker red, Brooklyn quickly and gently put Lisette on her feet and turned back towards the room, trying his best to ignore Broadway and Lexington who were snickering off behind them. 

Shaking his head, Xanatos was the first to break the silence as he dusted off his, no doubt, expensive suit. "I trust that you found out what you were looking for?" he asked, throwing a semi-dirty look at Puck who was slowly climbing to his feet. 

Nodding his head, Puck snapped his fingers and shifted forms back to his alter ego, Owen Burnette. "Like we assumed, Lisette's power is very formidable. Even with just the training that she received from the human wizard, which has hampered her capabilities, at this point and time she is slightly below the level of the Puck and the Weird Sisters..." 

"Uh.. is that good?" Lisette broke in, noticing the astonished looks that the rest of the clan were giving her. 

Ignoring her question, Owen continued in his same dry and bored voice, "With the proper training, Lisette will be able to gain her full power level..." 

"Which is?" Xanatos asked, arching his eyebrow in curiosity. 

"Second only to the King and Queen of Avalon," Owen finished calmly as he slowly took off his glasses and began polishing them on a handkerchief that he always kept handy. 

For a few minutes there was a dumbfounded silence as the clan turned as one to look at their young guest in a new light. But Lisette didn't like this new light. It made her different, even more so, from the others than she already was. It made her even more of an outsider. "Would all of you please stop staring at me like I am a part of some.. some.. ugh, what is the word?" she whispered, frustrated by her loss. 

"Circus?" Elisa asked as she stepped forward and placed her hand gently on the young woman's shoulder. 

Turning, Lisette smiled faintly at the look of amusement on the detective's face. "Oui, circus." 

"Lisette, we all know that you are not a part of some circus or freak show.. but you must understand that as it is, the children of Oberon are extremely powerful with magic. To know that you.. a woman that has only had 19 years to practice her magic, is already almost equal to the most powerful of the children.. well, it's unbelievable," Elisa finished quietly, shrugging her shoulders at the thought. 

"I think I understand that.. but you all must understand as well that I _am_ the same person that I was before this silly test! If I had known that you all would look at me with.. well, with different eyes... I would never have allowed myself to be tested," Lisette finished quietly, her eyes dropping to the ground as small tears clouded her vision. 

"Lisette?" Brooklyn asked quietly, drawing next to her side as Elisa silently backed away. As her dizzying blue eyes lifted to meet his, Brooklyn smiled. "Lisette, we still look at you in the same light and know that you are the same person.." 

"But.." 

"The new light that you are seeing in our eyes is just a furthered level of respect that we hold for you and your magical abilities.. that's all!" 

"Aye lass," Hudson broke in, smiling a rare smile at the young woman. "Before, we all figured that it would nay be a good idear to 'ave it out with ya.. but now we all know tis for certain!" 

Lisette couldn't help the smile that quickly lifted the corners of her mouth, nor the tinkling laughter that filled the room, along with the laughter of everyone else present. "I do not think that you need to worry of getting into a fight with me!" 

"You are probably right.. but that does bring up another question," Goliath broke in quietly. "What exactly is your level of fighting at?" 

"But Goliath, I already.." Brooklyn broke in, confusion written all over his face. 

"Yes, yes, Brooklyn, from what you've said, Lisette is very skilled when it comes to dealing with humans.. but what of other gargoyles?" Goliath asked, arching his eyeridges at Lisette. 

"I doubt that I would ever be fighting any of you..." Lisette began quietly, a small smile on her face. 

"Yes, but what of Demona? Wouldn't you rather be prepared the next time you meet up with her?" Goliath asked. 

Smiling, Lisette quickly changed forms and then smiled a fang-filled smile at Goliath. "Does anyone care to find out what would happen to this Demona if I do ever meet up with her again in gargoyle form?" 

Nodding at her belief in her abilities, Goliath instructed clan member after clan member to fight against her; urging for everyone to give it their all and not to hold back anything. Astonished, Goliath then watched as clan member after clan member was put through the runner as the girl demonstrated that she could indeed hold her own against a gargoyle. Not only was Lisette an excellent fighter, but she also had a way of using every single thing to her advantage; constantly rotating back and forth from using her brain, reflexes, strong muscles, powerful jumps, strong kicks, hard punches, sharp talons, strong wings to anything else that she could use last minute -- including the wall, ceiling and floor. Soon, all that remained standing of his clan was Hudson and himself. Before the next round could begin, Elisa stepped forward into the ring. "Very impressive indeed, Lisette, but now I have a new challenge for you... change back into your human form and try fighting against one of the clan." 

"What?!" Lisette asked in confusion, turning to watch as the clan gathered behind her, smiles on their faces. "But a human is no match for a gargoyle.. there would be no chance! Gargoyles have a height, speed, weight, and muscle advantage over us!" Lisette called out as she shifted back to her normal form, clad once more in her jeans and shirt. 

"That's true, but you're wrong about having no chance," Elisa replied with a small smile. "I've known many a human that have put up quite a fight against a gargoyle with all of these advantages!" 

"But.." 

"Well how about a human? It's true that you should fight well as a gargoyle, but your true form is that of a human.. how well do you fight against another human?" 

"I.." 

"Good then, let's try it!" Elisa called out with a smile as she quickly took off her red jacket and tossed it over to Goliath. As Lisette stood there stupefied, Elisa slipped down into a fighting stance. 

Noticing that she wasn't going to get out of this, Lisette sunk low, trying her best to imitate Elisa. Without warning, Elisa darted forward and jumped in the air, her foot catching Lisette in the mid-section and sending her flying across the room and onto the stone floor. Gasping, Lisette tried to regain her wind, her hand wrapped protectively around her abdomen as she tried to get to her feet. 

Smiling apologetically, Elisa was instantly by her side and reached down a hand to help her up. "You never have tried hand to hand combat in your true form, have you?" Elisa asked quietly, a small smile on her face. 

"No," Lisette agreed, wincing slightly at a flare of pain in her side. "Craigen barely consented with the idea of letting me help out the gargoyles and train with them in gargoyle form.. never would he have let me have the same training with the humans or guards. In that time, a woman's place was to be protected in the château while the men did all of the fighting.. there would have been serious consequences if I was seen fighting." 

"Well, then I think that it's about time for you to learn.. times have changed." 

Smiling at the thought, Lisette nodded quietly. 

Turning, Elisa moved to stand beside her love. "Goliath, with your permission, I'd like to make a ruling of sorts." 

With an idea in mind of what Elisa was about to say, Goliath tried to hide his smile as he nodded for her to go ahead. 

Smiling in thanks, Elisa turned towards Lisette and said, "If you are to stay with the clan in the castle, then you must take up responsibilities like the rest of them." 

"I would be honored to patrol with them," Lisette spoke up quickly, a sparkle in her eye. 

"That, as well as.. well, for instance, do you know how to read?" 

"Yes, Craigen taught me.." 

"Good, then you can help Angela with teaching some of the others. Also, each night you will train in magic with Puck." 

"But.." Xanatos broke in quickly, a small frown appearing on his face. 

"Don't worry, Xanatos. You will still have the normal aid of your manservant. She will only be taught when your son, Alex, is taught," Elisa said with a smile, knowing already the complaint that he was about to lay. "Also, each night you will train to enhance your fighting skills in your human form." 

"Train with who?" Lisette asked, taking all the rules in stride. 

"With either me or.." 

"Me," Fox broke in, speaking for about the first time that evening. Smiling at the beautiful young woman, Fox strode across the room to stand before her. "We'll have a chamber near the gargoyles' rooms set up for you so you have a place to sleep during the day. Also, you can join my family and I for meals as well as.. training." 

"Training?" Lisette asked, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. 

"Well, David and I prefer to keep our fighting skills sharply honed. Therefore, each morning or evening we practice in the gym.. if Detective Maza is unable to train you one night, you could always join us in the gym." 

Smiling, Lisette impulsively reached forward and hugged the older woman. "Thank you!" Lisette cried out happily. 

Smiling at Lisette's warmth, Fox gently pulled away and said, "You're welcome." 

"Well," Elisa broke in loudly, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "With that settled, what are we all sitting around here for? Let's get started!" 

"You mean right now?" Lisette asked in amazement. 

"No time better but the present," Elisa replied quickly with a smile as she brushed a stray strand of her blue-black hair out of her eyes. 

"But.." 

"Well, I suppose that I might as well get started on getting that room prepared for our new guest," Fox interrupted with a bright smile as she left the room, cell phone in hand. 

"And Broadway, it is time for your reading lessons," Angela spoke up quietly, grabbing Broadway by the arm and dragging him from the room. 

Groaning, Broadway immediately followed. "Yeah, no time better but the present," he griped, sending a look at Elisa. 

"Aye, that program that Robinson was telling me 'bout should be on 'bout now anyway," Hudson agreed as he slowly turned to leave the room. 

"But Robinson is blind!" Brooklyn broke in, confusion written on his face. "How does he know what's on tv? Does he have a tv guide written in Braille?" he asked in jest. 

"Aye, he does," Hudson agreed, wiping the smile completely off of Brooklyn's face. 

"Great! Hey Brooklyn, we should have just enough time to start up that new program I was telling you about!" Lexington broke in quickly, eagerly grabbing his rookery brother by the arm. 

"Okay, Lex! I'm coming! Just don't pull my arm off!" 

"And I do suppose that it is time for young Alexander's lessons," Owen agreed as he gently took the child from his father's hands. "Lisette, would you care to join us?" 

Smiling at Elisa and the remaining people, Lisette nodded her head and began following the manservant from the room. 

Shaking her head, Elisa watched as Owen turned to Lisette and said, "As the Puck once said long ago, 'Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place it leads.'" 

"Did Puck really say that?" Lisette quickly asked, raising her eyebrow at the manservant. 

"Well, no, but.." 

Laughing, Elisa turned back to Goliath and was about to say something when she noticed that they weren't quite alone yet. "Um, don't you have something that you should be doing, Xanatos?" she asked pointedly to the billionaire. 

"Well, I do suppose that I could be hatching some horribly evil plot to take over the world, Detective," Xanatos answered with a bright smile, ignoring the dirty look she sent in his direction as he turned to saunter from the room. 

"You know what Goliath, I _really_ don't like him," Elisa muttered quietly as she watched him go. 

"He is harmless now. Xanatos just enjoys.. how does Brooklyn put it? Ah, pushing your buttons?" Goliath asked, raising an eyeridge at his love. 

Smiling, Elisa punched his shoulder lightly. "Very funny, Big Guy. Seriously though, you're not mad at me for.. well, for kind of taking charge a minute ago, are you?" 

Laughing softly, Goliath smiled down at his love and tenderly brushed his hand across her smooth cheek. "Of course not, Elisa. The decisions you made were wise ones.. plus, you always have been slightly bossy..." 

"Hey!" Elisa laughed, pulling away from him in mock anger. 

Smiling, Goliath just pulled his love closer to him, holding her forever close to his heart. "Things have finally settled down once more, my love." 

"Perhaps. And perhaps things will go back to normal.. although I'm afraid that the excitement has just begun-" 

"I love you, my Elisa," Goliath interrupted as he held her closer. 

And I you, Big Guy.. always and forever." 

Castle Wyvern -- two months later 

As the clouds shifted in the early darkness of the afternoon, one could barely see the bright fiery ball of light as it finally dipped over the horizon. This was the only indication to those who watched that night was to fall, for already during the day the darkness of night had fallen. Starting slowly, one drop at a time, the rain began to fall on the stone statues just as they began to crack; strange light filtering around them. As the torrent of the storm was unleashed, all seven gargoyle forms finally broke free of their casings and woke to the dark night, each unleashing their own roar to shatter the storm darkness. 

Yawning, Brooklyn stretched his stiff muscles as he stared out into the night, rain pelting his body. Turning, he easily jumped down from his perch, ready to greet the guest that was always there when they awakened. To his great surprise though, she was no where to be seen. "Hey Broadway, do you know where Lisette is?" Brooklyn asked, concern entering his voice as he turned towards his rookery brother. 

"Oh yeah, I've only been sleeping for the past day, but despite that I know exactly where she is!" Broadway cried out with a laugh, trying his best to dodge Brooklyn's swipe. 

"Uh Brooklyn, maybe she's waiting inside and just didn't want to come out into the storm?" Lexington asked as he brushed off the water that was already running down his face. 

"Which is a very smart idea!" Angela agreed as she turned to hurry into the Great Hall and out from under the weather. 

"Yeah, but she stood outside in a rain storm before waiting for us to awake.." Brooklyn mumbled, really worried now. Suddenly, his sharp hearing detected a noise behind him. Turning quickly, Brooklyn looked up into the towering frame of his leader, Hudson and Bronx behind him. 

"If you are so concerned, why don't you go look for her?" Goliath asked, a small smile on his face as his second in command turned a darker shade of red.. something very common as of late. 

"Uh.. good idea," Brooklyn replied quickly as he turned and walked from the parapet. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but laugh at himself as well for his behavior. After all, it's not like he could expect for Lisette to stand outside and be there when they woke _every_ night! Chuckling to himself, Brooklyn quickly reached the door to her private chambers. He then took a minute to compose himself and attempted to dry himself off as best as possible before knocking gently on her door. When there was no answer, he gently turned the knob and pushed open the door. 

Walking in, he looked around quickly at the drab stone walls and floor that were somehow transformed by the appearance of several paintings and tapestries, the floor made soft by beautiful throw rugs. Turning, he saw her canopy bed made and fluffed, the small teddy bear he gave her a while ago lying on top of the pillow. The vanity table beside it was neat as always, as well as the armoire closed and everything in its place.. as well as all of her own books on their proper shelf. Shaking his head, Brooklyn couldn't help but be amazed at how neat Lisette always seemed to be. When he asked her about it before, she had said that it was a habit brought on by Craigen. Smiling, Brooklyn quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. Standing in the dark hallway, he looked left and then right, trying to decide where to look next. Then an image of her perfectly stacked books came into mind. "The library!" Brooklyn groaned, slapping himself in the head as he turned and hurried down the hall. Without a doubt, that would be where he would find her. 

Sure enough, as he drew closer to his destination, Brooklyn's sharp hearing quickly detected sounds within the large room. But the closer he got the more and more the sounds sounded like crying. With his worry escalating and afraid of what he would find, Brooklyn quickly rushed forward... 

The Library 

"What to read? What to read?" Lisette murmured as she walked around the massive library. She still had some time to spare before the clan awoke, and what better way to spend it than reading a good book? Smiling, Lisette finally settled on a book that had caught her eye earlier. Grabbing the book off of the shelf, she quickly moved over to one of the throw rugs in front of the roaring fire that she had started, making the room warm and snug away from the growing storm outside. Smiling, she read the cover of the book, "_Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul_," she murmured. Well, she liked soup, and until July of next year, she would still be considered a teenager.. it sounded as though the book was made for her. Her smile growing, she quickly closed her eyes and opened the book to a random page in the middle. 

"_Somebody should have taught him_, retold by Jane Watkins," Lisette whispered reading the name aloud. "_I went to a birthday party but I remembered what you said. You told me not to drink at all, so I had a Sprite instead_," Lisette murmured, reading the poem out loud. 

"Hmm, but having a Sprite is drinking," Lisette murmured, confused by the words. Shrugging her shoulders, she quickly continued. "_I felt proud of myself, the way you said I would, that I didn't choose to drink and drive, though some friends said I should. I knew I made a healthy choice and your advice to me was right as the party finally ended and the kids drove out of sight. I got into my own car, sure to get home in one piece, never knowing what was coming, something I expected least_," Lisette whispered, fear tightening her throat. Unable to stop, she quickly continued. 

"_Now I'm lying on the pavement. I can hear the policeman say, "The kid that caused this wreck was drunk." His voice seems far away. My own blood is all around me_," Lisette whispered, tears clouding her vision, "_as I try hard not to cry. I can hear the paramedic say, "This girl is going to die."_ Oh God, no," Lisette whispered, shaking her head, wanting to stop but unable as the tears came faster and faster. 

"_I'm sure the guy had no idea, while he was flying high, because he chose to drink and drive that I would have to die. So why do people do it, knowing that it ruins lives? But now the pain is cutting me like a hundred stabbing knives,_" Lisette murmured, her heart clutching painfully as she sobbed and tried to continue. 

"_Tell my sister not to be afraid, tell Daddy to be brave, and when I go to heaven to put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave_," Lisette whispered, flashes of her own faceless father clouding her mind. "_Someone should have taught him that it's wrong to drink and drive. Maybe if his mom and dad had, I'd still be alive. My breath is getting shorter, I'm getting really scared. These are my final moments, and I'm so unprepared. I wish that you could hold me, Mom, as I lie here and die. I wish that I could say I love you and good-bye_," Lisette finished, the tears pouring down her face as deep sobs wracked her slim form. "That poor person is dead.. dead because someone was not told not to do that.. and they never got to say goodbye to their dear sister, their beloved father... or hold their mother," Lisette whispered as the tears began to fall even faster and faster, the words choking in her throat. "I never had a mother to hold me.." she whispered as another sob ripped its way up from the depths of her heart. 

"Lisette! Are you okay?! What's wrong?!" Brooklyn asked quickly as he burst into the library and saw her sitting dejectedly on the floor, her legs crossed and her head buried in her hands. 

Surprised, Lisette looked up quickly to see Brooklyn standing in the now open doorway. Sniffing back her tears, Lisette watched as their eyes slowly connected. As she stared into his dark and caring eyes, Brooklyn slowly moved across the room till he knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" 

Laughing quietly, Lisette attempted to brush back more tears, the color rising in her cheeks as she pointed down to the book lying at her feet. "I.. I was reading this poem.. and.." she stuttered, trying to push down her feelings of sorrow. 

Breaking away from the hypnotic stare of her eyes, Brooklyn looked down to the indicated book. Sighing, he recognized it instantly, having walked in on a similar incident with Angela a few weeks ago. "Oh Lisette, I.." Brooklyn trailed off as he shut the book. 

"Brooklyn," Lisette interrupted, meeting his stare urgently once more, "what does it mean to 'drink and drive?'" 

Sighing, Brooklyn sat next to her and gently took her hands in his. "Do you know what alcohol is?" he asked quietly, not quite sure how to begin. 

"Al-co-hol?" Lisette asked slowly, trying the new word out on her tongue, her French accent sliding over its unfamiliar tone. "No," she whispered, crinkling her large blue eyes in confusion. 

Sighing once again, Brooklyn scratched his head slowly. "Well, it's a kind of liquid that the humans drink that makes them.. well, it makes them act strange and different.." 

"It changes them?" Lisette asked quickly, fear entering her eyes. 

"Well, no.. not in the way that you mean. You see, it's not permanent.. just temporary." 

"But why would anyone want to change themselves? Are they forced to drink it?" Lisette asked quickly, shock covering her face. 

"No.. it's actually very accepted in today's society... adults tend to drink quite a bit of it while they're at parties.. like I've seen Xanatos, Fox, and even Elisa have some now and then.. even saw Fox have quite a bit of it which caused her to be drunk.." Brooklyn said with a smile, remembering how funny it was to watch Fox make a fool of herself and stumble about. "But people that are under the age of twenty-one aren't allowed to have any." 

"But this person here had some and they were not over.." 

"I know.. just because it's a rule doesn't mean that everyone follows it. Also, you're never supposed to drive after you have had alcohol.. which is what this person did," Brooklyn explained. At her continued look of confusion, Brooklyn quickly took out the French/English dictionary he now always tried to carry with him for just these such instances. "Okay, what I meant is.. do you know what l'alcool is?" 

"Ah, l'alcool? Oui, I have heard of it before... but have never had any.. but what was Fox? What does 'drunk' mean?" Lisette asked, still not completely sure that she understood. 

"Ah, Fox? Well.. elle.. était.. ivre," Brooklyn said slowly, trying to remember the little bit of French that Lisette had taught him, looking up the French word for 'drunk' quickly. 

"Hmm, I think I understand now.. but it is so sad.. that this young girl had to lose her life so that another young person could have fun by doing something that only adults should be doing.. that he would enjoy losing control of himself," Lisette whispered, understanding now what had happened, but not understanding why. 

"I know it's sad.. but why are you reading something so sad anyway?" Brooklyn asked suddenly. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and rushed to one of the many walls of books. "Here, you should be reading stuff like this!" he called out as he grabbed the book that he was looking for and moved over to sit on the couch. 

Smiling, Lisette quickly got up and walked over to Brooklyn, pushing his tail aside so that she could lean up against him. 

Grinning, Brooklyn wrapped his arms around her and held the book in front of them. "_Hope is not pretending that troubles don't exist, it is the hope that they will not last forever, that hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome. It is faith that a source of strength and renewal lies within, to lead us through the dark -- to sunshine_." 

Smiling, Lisette leaned back contentedly into Brooklyn's arms. "That was beautiful," she whispered. 

Nodding, Brooklyn quietly showed his agreement. "So, how was the movie that you and Angela saw together last night?" he asked innocently. 

"Oh, it was wonderful!" Lisette gushed as she absently stared into the flickering flames of the fire. 

"Yep.. sure wish that I could have seen it as well," Brooklyn prompted quietly, his smile growing. 

"Hey, we told you both that it was going to be just a girls' night out anyway!" Lisette laughed, elbowing him gently in the side. 

"Yeah, yeah.. you and Angela do seem to have gotten really close the last couple of months.." 

"We have," Lisette agreed with a small smile. "It's like having the sister or best friend that I've never had. And then there's Fox and Elisa," Lisette replied with another smile. 

"Fox and Elisa?" Brooklyn asked, raising his eyeridge at Lisette's golden hair. 

"Yes.. it is like they have taken me in as their little sister as well.. it is kind of nice... and then there is Puck.." 

"Puck?" Brooklyn groaned as he too stared into the fire. 

"Hey, he is not that bad.. actually, he is kind of sweet," Lisette conceded, thinking back to all of the different lessons she had been taught. "Not to mention a good teacher.." 

"So you're learning some new stuff?" 

"Oh Brooklyn, you would not believe all the new tricks and spells that I have been taught!" Lisette murmured. "I mean, Craigen was a wonderful teacher, but as a human wizard, he just did not know all of the different ideas of the fey.. the training is a whole new level!.. but wait, let us not sit here and allow me to bore you with such things," Lisette quickly amended, a smile on her face as she snuggled nearer against Brooklyn's chest. 

Sighing, Brooklyn felt her warmth against him.. the warmth of a human. Who would have ever guessed the attraction and emotions that he would feel.. could be felt for a human?.. well, half human. Smiling, Brooklyn lifted up the book once more in front of them and turned a couple more pages until he found what he was looking for. "_I want to say I love you, but I'm so afraid you'll laugh_," Brooklyn read quietly, his soft voice whispering by her ear. "_And if you laughed when I told you it would break my heart in half. I want to do more things with you because I love you so. And if I asked you to do these things I'd die if you said no_." 

Smiling and blushing at the same time, Lisette snuggled further towards him. Staring into the flickering flames, she listened to Brooklyn's words, his warm breath fanning softly against her skin. 

"_I want you to love me as much as I love you. And if you said you hated me I don't know what I'd do. My love for you is like a stream that runs forever true. And my stream of love will never run dry as long as I have you_," Brooklyn finished softly. 

Before he could say another word, Lisette quickly turned the book a couple of pages further, familiar with the work. "Personally, I prefer this one," she whispered quietly. "_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous_," she whispered before turning slowly to meet Brooklyn's fiery gaze. Smiling, both slowly leaned towards each other until her lips met his beak -- together sharing their first kiss. 

"Hey Brooklyn, I..." Lexington broke off suddenly as he ran into the library, surprised to no end to see Lisette practically sitting on Brooklyn's lap, their lips connected. At the sound of his voice, both quickly jumped apart -- not quick enough. "Uh.. sorry to interrupt.. uh, I was.. working on something but I.. uh.. realized that I left an important disk at.. at Elisa's apartment.. and I, um.. was wondering if you'd go and.. get it for me?" Lex finished quickly, embarrassed about what he obviously interrupted. 

Embarrassed as well to be interrupted, Lisette quickly jumped to her feet.. too quickly, and announced, "Oui, we would love to go and get that for you.. uh, would we not Brooklyn?" 

"Um, yeah," Brooklyn quickly agreed, his face burning red as Lisette and he quickly rushed from the room. 

Laughing, Lexington watched them go before turning and heading back towards the computer room. "Yep, I think that they like each other," he muttered with a large smile. 

Elisa's apartment 

As Lisette and Brooklyn landed on the balcony to Elisa's apartment, it was easy for them to see that no one was home. Smiling at his companion, Brooklyn quickly moved forward and opened the latch to the darkened apartment and indicated for her to step inside. "Ladies first," he quipped quietly, whispering due to habit. 

Smiling, Lisette nodded to Brooklyn and then climbed inside the window and into the dark room. She had been to Elisa's apartment many times before.. but never in the dark. The lack of light had a way of transforming the whole room into something mystical and mysterious. Shaking her head at her own silliness, Lisette quickly set to work searching the apartment for Lex's disk. Fortunately for them, the apartment wasn't very big, and in a matter of minutes it became apparent to them both that the disk was no where to be found. Sighing, Lisette turned dejectedly towards Brooklyn and whispered, "I guess that it is not here after all. Come, let us head back to the castle.." 

"Wait.. we still haven't checked Elisa's bedroom," Brooklyn said, nodding his head towards the closed door. 

"Do you think that we really should? I mean, I have never been in her bedroom before.." Lisette trailed off uncertainly as she eyed the closed door. 

"Neither have I, but it's not like we're going to snoop around or anything.." 

"Snoop?" Lisette asked, unfamiliar with the word. 

Sighing, Brooklyn grabbed her taloned hand and moved towards the door. "We'll just look in and if we don't see it, we'll leave." 

Nodding her head uncertainly, Lisette watched as Brooklyn slowly opened the door and then turned and flicked the light switch. Shielding her eyes, Lisette watched as one lamp against the far corner of the room turned on with dim light. "Brooklyn, you have to move over and let me in as well!" Lisette hissed, pushing Brooklyn gently to the side so she could join him in the room. The minute she did though, she too stopped in her tracks as she stared in amazement around her. Everywhere she looked she saw angels ranging in size, color, and material. There were angel dolls, figurines, ornaments, carvings, statues, and even pictures. They were made of anything from glass, stone, cloth, wood to paper. 

"Uh.. a month or so ago I heard Matt mention something about Elisa having a secret admirer who gave angels as gifts.." Brooklyn muttered as he stared in amazement at the hundreds upon hundreds of angels. 

"This looks like less the work of a secret admirer and more of the work of someone deeply obsessed with her," Lisette murmured as she turned, her eyes alighting upon a box filled to the brim with notes. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she tentatively reached out a hand and picked up one of the notes. Slowly she opened the letter and read it aloud:

_"Life without meaning cannot be borne._  
_We find a mission to which we're sworn-_  
_or answer the call of Death's dark horn._  
_Without a gleaning of purpose in life,_  
_we have no vision, we live in strife-_  
_or let blood fall on a suicide knife."_  
_-The Book of Counted Sorrows_

"That was one of the letters she was given?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief, peering over her shoulder. 

"Yes.. and listen to this one," Lisette said, putting down the disturbing note and grabbing another:

_"Living in the modern age,_  
_death for virtue is the wage._  
_So it seems in darker hours._  
_Evil wins, kindness cowers._

_Ruled by violence and vice_  
_We all stand upon thin ice._  
_Are we brave or are we mice,_  
_here upon such thin, thin ice?_

_Dare we linger, dare we skate?_  
_Dare we laugh or celebrate,_  
_knowing we may strain the ice?_  
_Preserve the ice at any price?"_  
_-The Book of Counted Sorrows_

"Uh.. are we seeing a pattern at all here?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief. 

"Besides the fact that they all are negative and sound threatening?" Lisette asked sarcastically as she grabbed another one.

_"Life is a gift that must be given back,_  
_and joy should arise from its possession._  
_It's too damned short, and that's a fact._  
_Hard to accept, this earthly procession_  
_to final darkness is a journey done,_  
_circle completed, work of art sublime,_  
_a sweet melodic rhyme, a battle won."_  
_-The Book of Counted Sorrows_

"Lisette, I found the disk!" Brooklyn cried out quickly as he spied it on a dresser across the room. Rushing across, he quickly scooped the disk up and ran back to Lisette's side. "Come on, let's get out of here!" he cried out as he grabbed her arm and drug her from the room, hitting the light switch and closing the door behind him. Hurrying, the two gargoyles quickly left the darkened apartment and once more joined the breezes in the dark and stormy night sky. Never to look back and watch as one stray moonbeam entered the apartment and glistened off of the cold and dark eyes of the angels gathered within.. the dark angels of the night. 

NYPD's 23rd Precinct -- a few weeks later 

Sighing, Elisa trudged wearily across the busy squad room, her destination the safe haven of her desk. Yawning, she tripped over a pencil lying on the floor and then stumbled across to her awaiting chair. Groaning she leaned dangerously far back and yawned once more. 

"If you keep yawning like that, then I'll never make it home and will have to sleep right here!" Matt complained as he tripped over the same pencil before sliding into his chair opposite of her. 

Trying to muffle another yawn, Elisa grinned sheepishly and muttered, "I can't help it.. these late nights are really starting to get to me!" 

"Yeah, you and me both!" Matt agreed, nodding his head wearily. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he focused on something across the desk space. Lifting his hand, he pointed out a small box nearly hidden under the pile of papers on Elisa's desk. Groaning, he shook his head slowly and said, "Please tell me that's not what I think it is!" 

Confused, Elisa leaned forward and shoved the papers aside, revealing the perfectly wrapped box lying underneath. Sighing, she slowly drug the box towards her and then gently ripped open the packaging. Lying on yet another pile of cotton was an older movie titled "My Guardian Angel." 

"What is with this guy's fascination with angels?!" Matt cried out as he saw the title of the movie. 

"Beats me," Elisa muttered as she set the movie aside and picked up the note that was lying underneath it. 

Seeing what Elisa held, Matt got up quickly and darted around the desk till he was standing behind her. "Let's see if it will be a romantic or a threatening poem this evening!" he cried out eagerly, trying his best to make the statement funny. 

Laughing weakly at the attempted humor, Elisa slowly opened the note, revealing the contents within:

_"Guter Mond, du gehst so stille_  
_an den Abend wolken hin,_  
_Bist so ruhig und ich fuhle,_  
_Dass ich ohne Ruhe hin._  
_Traurig folgen meine Blicke_  
_Deiner stillen, heitern Bahn,_  
_O wie hart ist das Geschicke_  
_Dass ich dir nicht folgen kann!"_

After a few minutes of looking at the note, Matt finally shook his head and spoke up. "Okay, I give up. I can't read this thing! It must be in Latin or something!" 

"German, actually," Elisa spoke up slowly, her eyes trained on the note. "It says, 'Gentle moon that shines so brightly through the cloudy evening sky, oh so peaceful do you not wonder what makes my sad eyes cry? I am longing for my loved one who is far away from me, O my heart is nearly breaking that she cannot be with me,'" Elisa murmured, her soft voice lilting through the translation. 

Amazed, Matt stepped back a few paces before turning again to look at his partner. Sensing his gaze on her back, Elisa turned around slowly, a small smile on her face. "I had no idea that you spoke German!" Matt said suddenly, his eyes wide. 

Laughing, Elisa shrugged it off and muttered, "There's a lot you don't know about me, partner." 

Giving Elisa a weird look, Matt finally shrugged his shoulders and stepped back to her side, staring at the note lying on her desk. "Well, he's written in every other language so far.. English, Spanish, French... why not German? There's a first for everything!" he muttered quietly, unable to believe that Elisa's secret admirer was that worldly known that he was able to be fluent in all of those languages. 

"Second, actually," Elisa broke in as she opened up her desk drawer and took out another crumpled note and handed it to Matt. 

Curious, Matt took the note and asked, "When did you get this?" 

"Sometime last week." 

"Hmm," Matt grunted as he opened the little note and read the scrawled words within:

_"Bin ich gleich weit von dir,_  
_Bin ich doch im schlaf bei dir_  
_Und red mit dir;_  
_Wenn ich erwachen thu'_  
_Bin ich allein."_

"Uh.. translation please?" Matt asked after a few moments. 

Smiling, Elisa took the note back and read it through once. "It says, 'Yet though I'm far away from thee, Still in my sleep I see and kiss my own, but, when I wake again, I am alone.'" 

"Wow, that's deep," Matt muttered sarcastically as he took the note back from his partner and stared at the foreign language. "You know Elisa, you really should be careful," he said quietly as he turned to look at his partner and friend. "I mean, it's obvious that this guy is more than just a little obsessed with you... have you told Goliath?" 

"No.." Elisa whispered quietly, her vision focused on something far away. "He knew about the first ones, but I haven't mentioned it since.. I didn't want to worry him over nothing..." 

"Elisa," Matt broke in quietly as he laid a hand gently on her shoulder, causing her to turn and focus on him. "I don't think that this is nothing anymore. I'd be worried if I were you..." 

Taking Matt's words to heart, Elisa quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed her jacket from the chair behind her. "I need to go! See you tomorrow!" Elisa yelled out quickly as she ran across the room, leaving her befuddled partner behind. 

"But.. what about my ride home?" Matt sputtered as he watched her raven locks disappear out the door. 

Castle Wyvern -- gym 

Sighing, Lisette slowly entered the empty gym. Closing her eyes, she bent over and began doing some slow stretches, working on clearing her mind and trying her best to slow her breathing. Standing straight once more, she then straightened her short gray cotton shorts and matching sports bra before she reached her hands up and swept her long blond hair into a high pony tail. 

Turning, she moved towards the punching bag set up in the center of the room, a determined look on her face. Slowly, she began the routine, starting out with easy punches until they became faster and harder. Soon, she began to practice her kicks as well, using her powerful round house kick that Elisa had taught her, literally flying through the air. As her punches, kicks, and overall movements became faster and more and more violent, images of her shattered clan began flooding her mind. As her anger and guilt built up, and the feelings of helplessness consumed her, she began to kick and punch harder and faster, ignoring the stabs of pain in her limbs. 

Suddenly, the leader's face flashed before her mind's eye.. the look on his face in the final seconds before his death as he was told that Lisette did nothing to save his beloved clan... the look of betrayal. Even though Lisette knew that she could do nothing to save the clan, that the words were a lie, the guilt at not being able to save the clan.. the guilt of sitting there and watching as her loved ones were killed before her eyes filled her very being until all that she was was guilt and mindless fury as she punched and kicked harder and harder. 

As the tumult overwhelmed her, Lisette stepped back and then jumped forward, turning in mid-air and landing a hard kick to the bag.. so hard that the heavy chain that held the punching bag aloft broke into pieces and the bag tumbled to the ground. Sobbing brokenly, Lisette followed the bag to the ground; nothing but her tears to comfort her. 

Grumbling to herself, Elisa rushed through the dark hallways, badly wanting to talk with Goliath before the sun's rays captured him in stone, but knowing that she only had minutes to spare. "What kind of people are causing traffic jams this early in the morning, anyway?" Elisa whispered to herself as she mentally cursed the people that kept her from arriving at the castle sooner. 

Turning down another hallway, she quickly passed by the brightly lit doorway that would lead into the gym when the sounds of someone sobbing came to her ears. Stopping quickly, Elisa turned back and looked at the open doorway and debated quietly to herself. She really needed to talk with Goliath about the letters before she lost her nerve.. but then again, she couldn't just pass by without knowing who was crying and why. 

Sighing, Elisa allowed her conscience to turn her around and make her leave the dark hallways for the brightly lit room inside. There in the middle of the room was a sight that she never thought that she'd see: Lisette sitting in the middle of the hard gym floor, her legs drawn up to her chest as she sobbed against them, a punching bag lying on the ground beside her. 

Goliath completely forgotten, Elisa quietly stepped across the floor till she knelt on her knees beside the girl. Very gently she reached up and touched Lisette's shoulder. Without hesitation, the young woman turned quickly and fell into Elisa's arms, burying her tear stained face into the soft red material of her jacket. Surprised, Elisa sat for a moment before quickly holding Lisette tightly against her. "Lisette, what's wrong?" Elisa whispered slowly as the woman sobbed against her. 

In between wracking breaths of air, Lisette slowly whispered, "My clan.. my clan is all dead because of me! I.. I sat there and watched as they were being destroyed.. they're dead because I failed them," Lisette sobbed as she drew away from Elisa and blinked back the tears.. her guilt ridden blue eyes meeting Elisa's sympathetic brown. 

"But Lisette, surely you know that it wasn't your fault!" Elisa broke in quickly. "You said so yourself.. you were bound in iron! There was nothing you could have done!" 

"Tell that to the Leader," Lisette muttered darkly as she brushed away the tears with one hand, the horrible memories darkening her vision. 

Sighing, Elisa sat back on her knees. From her vast experience, she knew that no matter what she said, she wouldn't be able to erase the feelings of guilt that her friend was obviously feeling.. comforting words would do nothing for her. "I know how it feels to lose someone," Elisa whispered slowly, her eyes focused far away on another time. "And how it feels to carry the guilt of their death on your conscience... time will help but it will never erase your memories."

Closing her eyes, Lisette slowly shook her head, feeling bitterness well up within her. "Thank you for your words Elisa.. but how could you possibly understand what I am feeling?" she dead-panned as her bright blue eyes seemed to pierce into Elisa. 

Smiling sadly, Elisa turned and focused once more on Lisette. "Trust me, my friend, I understand," she whispered quietly, trying to force back her own memories. "As someone once said, 'Cold steel may penetrate the flesh, the wound may throb and smart, but far more are the wounds inflicted on the heart. Soothing balms may cease the pain that body blows impart, but what can heal the deep cut wounds inflicted on the heart? Yes -- the mark upon the flesh will fade, forgotten with the pain but when the heart is wounded thus the scar will long remain.'" 

Shocked, Lisette stared up at Elisa in awe. Nodding to herself, she then realized that Elisa really did understand her pain. She didn't know how someone like Elisa could possibly know the pain she did.. but she really did understand. And for some weird reason, just knowing that someone else shared a pain similar to hers was enough to ease the pain somewhat for that night. Smiling sadly, Lisette slowly reached forward and hugged Elisa once more. Both remained that way, clinging slowly to each other as their own horrid memories bombarded their minds. Shaking her head, Lisette slowly pulled away and climbed to her feet. "Thank you Elisa.. for listening," she murmured before turning and walking slowly from the room. 

Turning, Elisa watched her go. Sighing, she slowly shook her head and turned to leave herself. Sighing, she lifted her watch and then cursed quietly -- the sun had risen ten minutes ago, meaning that her love was already captured in stone. Shaking her head, she quickly turned and began heading back, realizing that it was probably for the best seeing as how it would be better for her to just return home and sleep off the memories that now plagued her mind. 

In her many years of existence, she had lost many a loved one and friend due to no one else but herself... the guilt of losing a loved one would always stay with her.. especially when the pain and guilt was due to that of losing your only child... Holding back tears, Elisa quickly rushed through the remaining hallways, eager to find her way back home. 

Castle Wyvern -- three weeks later 

Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's warm grip, the arms safe and protective as she stares across the room. It was the same room.. always the same room in the same dream with the same view: grimy dirt floors, a hearth with a small fire burning, a rickety old table with wooden benches, an old bed made out of lumber pressed against the far corner, and the pale and cold sunlight seeping in through the open doorway. _No, look at her face.. please look at her face!_ Lisette begged of her mind's eye.. it wasn't to be. Every time it was the same dream with the same view. 

Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is gripped tighter by the hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the mother as she stands up from her chair quickly. _This isn't a game!! Look at her face!_ Lisette urged, knowing that the baby wouldn't do any different than usual.. too young to understand. 

Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is lowered quickly to the floor and then laid on the cold dirt. The cold upsets the child, and she quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes. Turning her small head, the young infant watches through blurry eyes as the mother walks towards the open door, never once looking back. 

Then she stops. Holding her breath, Lisette urged for the dream to go on. As the baby continues to cry, the mother stops by the door and weakly reaches one tan hand out and rests it against the door, the hand trembling. Ever so slowly she begins to turn. Just as the corner of the woman's face reaches the light, the dream slowly fades to black. 

_No_, Lisette sobbed in her mind's eye as darkness once more reigned over her world. _I need to see her face... mama.. mama..._

"Mama!" Lisette cried out as she sat up quickly in her bed, a single tear dripping down her face at the thought that not once had she ever seen her mother's face... all she ever wanted since the dream first started occurring all those years ago was to see her mother's face just once. 

Shaking her head in order to clear the troubling and reoccurring dream from her mind, Lisette looked around the familiar walls of her room... _her_ room. With Fox's help, the two had quickly transformed the drab bed chambers that she had been given to her own little hideaway decorated in her own tastes -- a tasteful mix of the tenth century with the twenty-first. 

Smiling to herself, Lisette stuck one arm out from under the covers and felt the air outside of her warm cocoon. "Ah, I see that despite the many conveniences of modern life, the chilliness of a castle remains," Lisette murmured. Without a thought, she turned her head to the brick fireplace opposite of the bed and added a spark of fire to the wood sitting ready. In a matter of minutes, a large fire was started and the room began to gradually warm. 

Laughing in delight at the aid of magic, she then looked over to the alarm clock sitting on the ancient bed stand. "Oh zût! It is almost time for breakfast!" Lisette murmured as she quickly tossed her covers aside and jumped out of bed and headed for her private bathroom for a quick shower. Five minutes later, she stepped back into the room and opened up her ancient armoire which was filled to overflowing with everything ranging from ratty jeans to the latest fashions. Groaning, Lisette noticed some more of the expensive clothing that she detested. 

"It looks as though Fox has gone shopping for me again," Lisette muttered with a small smile as she quickly  
bypassed the expensive clothing and slipped into a pair of her favorite blue jeans and a comfortable long sleeve shirt. Smiling, she quickly sat at her vanity table and brushed through her wet blond hair and then turned to slip into her shoes. All set to go, she quickly turned out all of the lights and headed for breakfast. 

A few minutes later, she emerged from the twisty hallways of the castle and entered the dining hall. Like usual, she was late for breakfast and already Xanatos sat at the head of the table, eating his supper while reading a newspaper with Fox to his right, eating while she read as well. Shaking her head, Lisette quickly moved to her seat opposite of Fox's and sat down. Within a matter of seconds, a plate of steaming scrambled eggs and pancakes was set before her by Owen. "Thanks," Lisette said quickly before lifting up her fork and digging in. 

At the sound of Lisette's voice, Fox glanced up from her paper and frowned slightly. "I wonder if I'll ever break you of this jeans fetish that you have and be able to introduce you to some modern fashion," Fox commented idly as she turned her attention back to her paper. 

"Not likely," Lisette said with a small grin, used to the comments seeing as how it was sort of a tradition between the two. 

"Hmm, and I don't suppose you'd be interested in going shopping with me after you finish your breakfast and I my supper?" Fox asked, turning her paper down to raise an eyebrow at the younger woman. 

"Why Fox, you of all people should know that all of the stores that you usually shop at would be closed by now.. the sun will be setting, after all, in less than an hour." 

"Yes, but.." 

Sighing, Xanatos lowered his own paper and mock glared at the two women sitting beside him. "Must I sit here and listen to you two women argue over clothing every single night?" Xanatos asked pointedly as he quickly picked up his paper once more and continued to read. 

Surprised, Fox and Lisette looked at each other for a minute before both broke out into laughter.. soon, not even Xanatos was able to withstand it as all three laughed together. Shaking her head, Lisette quickly focused back on her food and polished off the remainders. 

"Lisette, would you care to join David and I in the gym after we're all finished eating, seeing as how the clan won't be awake for a while yet?" Fox asked as Lisette pushed back her chair and stood before them. 

Smiling, Lisette shook her head. "No thank you.. I think that I would rather go and try to walk off breakfast instead. If you will excuse me." 

Nodding, Fox and Xanatos watched the newest addition to the castle go. "She has adapted to castle life well, hasn't she David?" Fox asked with a small smile as she turned to her husband. 

"Yes, she has," Xanatos agreed as the door closed behind the younger woman. "I must admit that it is refreshing to have some new blood around the castle again... a new player to be added to the game." 

Elisa's apartment 

Noting the time on the wall clock, Elisa hurried throughout her apartment turning off various switches as she went. Suddenly, a soft and furry object darted against her leg. Gasping, Elisa jumped back a couple of feet before realizing who her attacker really was. 

"Cagney!" Elisa gasped as she tried to calm her racing heart. "You bad cat! You startled me!" she muttered as she reached down and lifted the pile of fur into her arms. Immediately the cat began to purr like a fine tuned engine. Smiling, Elisa gently began to stroke her pet as she moved into the kitchen and looked into the empty bowl on the floor. "Ah, so this is why you've become so friendly all of a sudden.. you're hungry!" Elisa muttered with a small smile as she placed the gray cat on the floor and turned to quickly pour some more cat food into the empty bowl. Suddenly, the front door opened behind her, the creaking alerting her. Reacting on instinct, Elisa dropped the bag of cat food, causing it to spill all over the linoleum floor as she drew her gun and pivoted quickly till she was aimed at the front door. 

"Hold it, hold it! Don't shoot!" Matt yelled out quickly as he held his hands out in defense. 

"Goddammit Matt!" Elisa cried out in frustration as she slowly holstered her gun so that it was hidden beneath her red jacket once more. "Can't you learn how to knock?" she asked as she turned to survey the mess of cat food all over the kitchen floor. 

"Sorry," Matt muttered as he joined Elisa in the kitchen, trying his best to hide his smile at the mess. "I was just coming in, though, to tell you that I found this sitting outside your front door," he continued, his gaze turning serious as he withdrew a silver wrapped box from one of the many pockets of his trench coat. 

"Another one?" Elisa groaned as she gingerly took the box from Matt. 

"Yeah, another one at your home! Elisa, he's always left them at the station.. but now he knows where you live!" Matt cried out, worry creasing his tanned face. 

Shrugging off Matt's worry, Elisa just repeated to herself slowly that there was no reason for her to be afraid.. after all, what could this person possibly do to harm her.. the protector of the human race?! Besides harm her in some way in front of someone.. an act that would surely blow her cover when she began to heal almost immediately. Shaking it off once again, Elisa quickly tore open the packaging and opened the box within. Almost immediately, her voice caught in her throat as she saw what lay upon the white cotton. 

"What is it?" Matt asked as he leaned forward, trying to gain a better view. "Wow, that's nice," he muttered as he saw yet another carved angel.. this one completely black. 

As the cold and slimy tendrils of fear wrapped its way around Elisa's spine, she slowly reached a hand forward and took the statuette into her hand, her face becoming pale. The angel countenance was unmistakable.. but the utter blackness of the statue was threatening. Rubbing her finger over the smooth surface, Elisa quickly decided that it must have been carved from obsidian. 

Noticing how pale Elisa had gotten at the sight of the gift and how tightly she held the angel, Matt slowly reached forward and unclenched her fist from around it and then placed it on the counter. Worry covering his face, Matt turned towards his partner and gently took her hands in his. "Elisa, what's wrong?" he asked slowly. 

"It's... it's a dark angel," Elisa whispered, her mind flooring at the indications of that simple gift. Praying to God that it wasn't true, but all the pieces falling into place nonetheless, Elisa let go of Matt's hands and picked up the empty box once more. Like always, underneath the bed of cotton lay a single, hand scrawled note. Her hands shaking, Elisa gently picked up the note and opened it, allowing the light to shine forth onto the words. "With love all things are possible, forever...." Elisa whispered, reading the words aloud. 

"Elisa?" 

"Matt.. I know who it is.. oh God, I know who it is," Elisa whispered as her eyes widened in disbelief and fright. Turning, Elisa dropped the note quickly and pretty much ran from the room and out into the hallway beyond. 

Confused, Matt quickly hit the light switches and closed the door behind him as he chased after his partner. "Where are we going?!" 

"We have to get to the clan.. oh God, we have to get to the clan before it's too late!" 

Castle Wyvern 

Humming softly to herself, Lisette moved slowly through the open air courtyard of the castle and then into the luscious gardens beyond. Sighing, she admired the towering plants and flowers that all but obliterated everything but the sun sinking slowly in the horizon beyond. As the heady scents of the flowers filled her mind, Lisette entered the middle most part of the gardens and sank down onto the stone bench -- relaxing and taking in the sight of the bright flowers fading into the darkness of twilight... twilight? 

Gasping, Lisette quickly shot to her feet as she realized that the others would be awakening soon. True, it was beautiful here and she would like to see the rest of the sunset in this setting, but Brooklyn would worry. Shaking her head at the thought, Lisette's smile grew as she turned away from the bench and began making her way back. But before she even left the center of the large gardens her senses began warning her of something not quite right. Instantly cautious, Lisette turned back in the direction where she had been and saw a stranger sitting on the bench she had just occupied. 

He was very attractive, with short, curly blond hair, large blue eyes, a strong jaw, and an obviously well muscled physique hidden under the thin dark blue sweater and khaki pants he wore. He seemed to be older than her.. about Elisa's age.. but his eyes bespoke of a wisdom far older than he looked. Regaining her control, Lisette turned her fiery blue eyes to his and stepped slowly back into the center of the gardens. "Who are you?" 

Smiling at the question, the man slowly stood up and began advancing towards her. "Someone," he whispered quietly, a toying smile on his lips. 

Maintaining the hard line of her lips, Lisette's eyes narrowed slowly. "How did you get up here? What do you want?" she asked slowly, showing no fear as she planted her hands firmly on each hip. 

Ignoring her questions, the man continued to advance slowly. "Has anyone ever told you how very lovely you are?" he asked quietly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. "A goddess of sorts," he continued, his dark gaze latching onto hers, mesmerizing her with their intensity as he finished off the distance between them. 

Lost in his gaze, Lisette stared up into the stranger's eyes as he slowly reached one warm hand up and rubbed it gently across her cheek and then trailed it down her neck and shoulders. Shivering at his touch, Lisette reached her head toward his as magic seemed to take place: the moon light in the gardens making everything glowing and beautiful as their lips came closer and closer.. as magic.. magic? The word snapping her out of it, Lisette quickly stepped back and glared up at the stranger. 

Smiling even though his trick didn't work like planned, the stranger quickly began advancing again, causing Lisette to dart around and head back towards the center of the garden. Seeing this, the stranger quickly darted forward, intending to capture her in a bear hug of sorts. 

Falling back into the training that Fox and Elisa had been giving her, Lisette easily sidestepped his grasp and then did a roundhouse kick, her foot smashing into the back of his head and sending him flying towards the stone bench where he hit it with a large crack. Breathing heavily, Lisette watched as the stranger slowly turned around and pulled himself up from the ground. 

His eyes trained on her, he slowly and deliberately reached up and wiped a smear of blood away from a large cut on his chin. "I'm impressed with your skills," he replied simply, watching in amusement as Lisette's eyes widened in amazement as the wound on his chin healed right before her eyes. 

"What are you?" Lisette asked quickly, a large knot of fear beginning to form in her for the first time. 

"Your worst nightmare," the stranger ground out as his eyes began to glow a bright green. Before Lisette had a chance to duck or run for cover, he then released a powerful magic bolt that caught her straight in the stomach. 

Crying out, Lisette quickly fell to the ground. Holding her stomach delicately, she felt her anger build so quickly that it overpowered her fear. Climbing to her feet, she quickly called upon her magic. As the wind built around her and caused her hair to swirl, her eyes began to glow the same green color. With an angry cry, she quickly lashed back at him with her own magic, throwing him against a brick wall of the castle. 

Climbing to his feet once more, the stranger quickly began his magical attack on her -- an attack that she was ready for. Both began to concentrate most of their energy on shielding themselves from the blows as they tried to outsmart and outpower the other one as they began to circle and turn against each other. As a heavy sweat filmed Lisette's skin, she realized for the first time in her life that her magic was no match for the fight that she was in. Suddenly, one of the stranger's blows broke through her shield and threw her against the same wall he had just visited. Crying out, she slowly got to her feet and looked up just in time to watch as the stranger shaped some sort of large glowing horseshoe in his hands and then fired it at her. Having no chance to react, the horseshoe easily wrapped itself around her before imbedding itself straight into the stone, pinning her hands tight against her sides. After a few minutes of struggling, it quickly dawned on her that not only was the metal too impossibly strong for her to free herself, but it was also made of iron, making her magic useless. Looking up, Lisette watched in horror as the stranger slowly drew closer towards her, causing her to struggle all the harder. 

"How does it feel to be the one bleeding?" he asked slowly as he noted the trickle of blood that trailed down her face from a small cut on her forehead. 

Ignoring him, Lisette continued to struggle, knowing that it was useless but not understanding the concept of giving up. 

Laughing at her attempt, the stranger slowly reached down and withdrew a wickedly long blade from a sheath that had been hidden under his sweater. Turning suddenly serious, he slowly pulled the blade up until the sharp edge of the knife was pressed tightly against the delicate skin of her long, tan neck. 

Gasping in fright, Lisette immediately stopped struggling and tilted her head back against the stone wall, the knife moving with her -- always remaining tightly pressed against her soft skin. 

"Is tonight your night to die?" 

Castle Wyvern -- Parapets 

As the sun finally dipped over the horizon, all seven gargoyle statues quickly began the awakening process: stone skin cracking, an eerie light revealed, stretching and roaring as the skin burst away and they awoke into the night. Out of all, the loudest and fiercest roar to be heard came from Goliath as he greeted the night like he greeted all others. As the last of the stone shards dropped away, Goliath turned with his clan away from the bright lights of the city and jumped from the parapets to greet those who awaited. 

"Xanatos, Fox," Goliath nodded, acknowledging the Lord and Lady of the castle. 

"Good evening, Goliath," Xanatos greeted, a small smile on his face. "I trust that you slept well?" 

"As always," Goliath growled, wondering if the billionaire would ever get to the point as the rest of the clan assembled around them. 

"Right," Xanatos replied with a slight frown. "In any case, Fox and I were just wondering if.." 

"Goliath!" Elisa yelled as she raced out from one of the many doors leading into the castle. 

"Elisa?" Goliath asked quickly, turning to face his love, the panic in her voice causing his to rise quickly. 

"Wait up!" Matt yelled out as he exited from the same door seconds later, panting and trying to regain his breath. 

Ignoring all, Elisa ran quickly to Goliath and grabbed his arms urgently. "Elisa, what's wrong?" Goliath asked quickly, trying to read the expression on her face. 

"Goliath, I know who has been sending the gifts and letters.. Goliath I knew who it is!" Elisa cried out breathlessly, completely missing the surprised looks that she was receiving from all gathered. 

"Gifts.. notes.. what are you talking about?" Goliath asked, his confusion growing. 

Sighing in frustration, Elisa shook her head quickly. "Goliath, there's no time! He's back! Caleb's back! You guys are in danger!" 

"Caleb?" Goliath asked, staring at Elisa as though she were mad. 

"We may already be too late!! He may already be here!" Elisa cried out, frustrated that no one was understanding the caliber of what was going on. "Is everyone here? I need to get you guys out of here!" Elisa muttered quickly as she surveyed the group. "He's going to try and hit me where it will hurt most," she murmured, so quietly that only Goliath heard. 

His eyes widening, Goliath too looked to make sure that everyone was here. As far as he knew, Elisa as her counter part, Talika, was unstoppable -- but if something had her this worried, then that something had to be.. bad. 

"Someone's missing," Elisa murmured, her eyes narrowing. "Lisette!" she shouted suddenly, fear gripping her tightly. "Brooklyn, where's Lisette?" she asked quickly, turning to the second. 

As fear and worry tore at Brooklyn's insides, he too realized that this must not be an ordinary threat. Never before had he seen Elisa so frightened.. not even with Mozenrath. And his fear was ten times worse when he realized as well that Lisette wasn't with them. 

Before he had a chance to answer though, one of the doors leading to the castle crashed open as Owen ran outside and to the group. "Sir, Security has picked up a disturbance in the gardens..." Owen muttered quickly to Xanatos. "I believe that Lisette was seen heading there last..." he trailed off, the closest thing to worry covering his emotionless face. 

Fear tightening its hold, Brooklyn didn't wait for another word to be said before he was off like a bolt of lightning. _Please let her be okay, please let her be okay, please let her be okay_, was the mantra that he began chanting in his mind as he hurried to the castle gardens. 

Castle Gardens 

"Do you want to die?" the stranger asked slowly as he teased the knife slowly across Lisette's throat. 

Trying her best to ease her breathing, Lisette fought the tidal wave of fear that was enveloping her, refusing to give in. Still, the feel of the sharp knife against the delicate layer of skin at her neck was a powerful weapon. As the tears built in her eyes, Lisette sobbed out one word: "No" as the knife continued to dance. 

"Then call them.. call your friends to us," the stranger whispered as he tightened the knife against her flesh. 

"What?" Lisette asked in confusion, looking into his blue eyes.. his cold blue eyes. 

"Scream bloody hell for all I care, just call them over here," he whispered again, taking the knife back a little from the neck. 

Suddenly, realization dawned on her. She was to be the bait that would gather her clan to her... so that he could either capture or kill them -- or worse. "No," Lisette whispered slowly, determination building within her. 

Frowning, the stranger pressed the knife tighter once again, the sharp edge nicking her skin and starting a thread of blood. "Call to them or die," he whispered, his voice turning hard. 

Sobbing, Lisette tried her best to ignore the stinging pain. She didn't want to die.. not now or in this way. But never again would she be the cause of her friends' death... she would play no willing part in this game. Determination strengthening her limbs and drying her tears, she spoke again, this time her voice as hard as her will. "No," she stated, her blue eyes as cold and hard as his. 

Suddenly, a sole voice broke the night quiet. "Lisette!" Brooklyn yelled as he entered the maze of the garden. 

Smiling, the stranger turned back to his captive. "It seems as though you won't be needing to call to them after all," he whispered with a sneer, completely distorting his handsome face. 

At his words, fear once more tightened its cold hands upon her heart -- fear no longer for herself, but for her friends instead. "No, Brooklyn, run aw.." Lisette began to yell before the stranger's hand clamped down over her lips, shoving her head back hard against the wall.. so hard that her vision dimmed briefly as the sharp pain flared in the further regions of her skull. 

Angry at her words, the stranger smiled at the look of pain that flashed across the woman's beautiful features as she sagged against the wall. Still, her words may have cost him. Anger filling him once more, the man quickly placed the knife tight against her throat. As her eyes opened and focused on him once more, he slowly whispered, "It seems as though you, my love, have just made it your night to die." As her lovely blue eyes widened in fear, the stranger prepared himself to bring the knife that was held so tight against her throat in one quick swipe. 

A sudden rustle of leaves and branches off to his right alerted the stranger of a new player in their little game. Careful to keep the knife tight against the woman's throat, the stranger took his other hand away from her mouth and placed it at the base of her neck.. a place where if he so chose, could choke the life out of her with one tight squeeze. A smile flitting across his handsome face, he then turned to watch as one of the demons, a brick red one with wild white hair, ran out from behind the bushes. "Come no further, creature, or this woman will die," the stranger whispered, stopping the creature in its tracks. 

"Lisette," Brooklyn gasped out as he located the body that accompanied the soft timber of the stranger's voice. There was his worst nightmare come true.. his first real love in the grasp of a strange lunatic, blood dripping down her face, with a knife pressed against her throat. Then again, wasn't that everyone's worst nightmare come true? 

"Brooklyn, get the others and go!" Lisette called out quickly. 

Angry at her words once again, the stranger quickly grabbed her head by the hair and pulled it forward before smashing it viciously back against the stone wall, once again causing the darkness to try and grab her in order to drag her down, a soft cry escaping her lips. 

"Stop it!" Brooklyn yelled out urgently, his eyes flaring white in anger, but not daring to move another step forward with the knife pressed so tightly against her throat. Suddenly, he felt movement behind him as the rest of the clan gathered behind him. 

"Like I told the red one, don't any of you take a step closer or else she dies," the stranger said as he tightened his grip on Lisette. 

Suddenly, the crowd of creatures parted as someone stepped fully into the garden. Smiling, the stranger noted that only the largest of the creature tried to stop her. 

"Caleb, let her go," Elisa ground out fiercely as she took in the knife pressed against Lisette's throat. 

Nodding at Elisa, Caleb slowly stepped away from Lisette, placing the knife back in its sheaf. "As you wish, my love." 

Eyeing the stranger, Brooklyn only waited till he stood a few feet away before he gave up all restraint and rushed up to Lisette's side. Almost immediately he began tugging fiercely on the iron horseshoe that held her tightly against the wall. A few seconds later, the iron slowly grade out of the wall, causing Lisette to tumble into his arms. Relieved, he held her protectively as his angry glare returned to the stranger. 

Seeing this, Caleb nodded slowly at Brooklyn. "What sort of creature is that anyway?" he asked slowly as his eyes narrowed. Not waiting for an answer, he turned quickly and sent a magical blast at Lexington, enclosing him in a glowing orb of magic that slowly drew the smallest gargoyle towards him. 

Without even thinking, Elisa turned quickly and sent a blast of her own at the connecting light, breaking it easily. As the magic dispersed, Lex fell from the orb and back to the ground. Shaking his head slightly, he grabbed Angela and Broadway's hands as they pulled him quickly back with the clan, shielding him with their larger bodies. "Leave them out of this, Caleb," Elisa hissed fiercely, her eyes fading from the green glow back to her normal brown color. 

Completely ignoring Elisa's statement, Caleb continued to carry the same questioning look on his face. Turning back towards Elisa, he slowly muttered, "How puzzling.. they are a separate species that show traces of our and Oberon and Titania's magic... how can this be?" 

Ignoring his question for the time being, Elisa slowly fixed her large brown eyes on Caleb. Her voice hard, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind ever since the final gift gave away the giver. "How did you escape?" 

Waving a hand in the air as though to brush off the question, Caleb shook his head slowly. "You shouldn't have left that entrance that led to the surface, my Dark Angel," Caleb admonished slowly, a small grin on his face as he used his pet name for her. "A human stumbled upon it and was so kind as to remove the angel that you left to restrain me." 

Confusion clouding her lovely features, Elisa shook her head slowly. "But there _was_ no entrance to the surface...." 

Not missing a beat, Caleb's smile grew even more. "Perhaps the Creator's plan for me isn't so cut and dry then." 

At his words, Elisa's smile slowly faded into a frown as her expression became troubled. Shaking her head, Elisa decided to focus on that later as she turned her eyes once more to Caleb. "What are you doing here?" she asked slowly, afraid that she already knew the answer. 

Almost immediately Caleb's expression softened as a large smile lit up his face. "I've come back to regain my love, of course.. my Dark Angel -- my wife.." Caleb whispered as he closed off the space between them and then went on one knee before her, taking her hand in his. "I still love you, Talika my love, and forgive you for what you did.. for your betrayal," he whispered, a frown flitting across his face briefly. "I want my queen back at my side to rule over what is ours..." 

Shaking her head sadly, Talika slowly squeezed the hand that she held. "I'm sorry Caleb, but I'm no longer your love and I no longer want to rule... for a long time now the humans have lived on their own, not knowing anything about this; making up their own minds, settling their own disputes, and living in their own way..." Talika stated quietly, her eyes never leaving his. 

Growing angry, Caleb quickly released her hand and backed away. "How can you let them rule themselves! They're too dangerous and evil for that.." 

"No they're not!" Talika disagreed quickly, shaking her head in denial. "It's true that some of them do have evil hearts.. but not all of the humans in the world have evil in them..." 

"How can you possibly believe that?! After what they did to our child?!" Caleb cried out angrily. But as the tears welled up in Talika's eyes, he instantly regretted his harsh words. 

"You mean what I did to our child..." Talika whispered quietly, her hands balled up into fists. "It was my fault.." 

"No, my love," Caleb disagreed quickly. "We have gone over this before.. it wasn't your fault! The humans are the ones who did it! I know that it's hard for you to believe it, but the ones that we were created to protect have turned against us! For the crimes that they have done, they must be punished... and as King and Protector of the human race, I declared long ago that they shall die for their actions!" Caleb hissed quickly, his face turning into an ugly mask of rage and hate. 

As Caleb's words rang through the courtyard, Talika's face grew hard and stony. "I see that all your millenniums of rest did nothing to make you see the light," Talika whispered coldly. "Your ravings and proclamations are the reasons why we used our one weakness against you so long ago.. why Oberon, Titania, and I turned against you... because you turned your back on the Creator and on our purpose... you began killing every human that crossed your path! You turned evil when our purpose was light!" 

"And you betrayed your husband!" Caleb broke in quickly, anger rising within him. 

"You are no longer my husband or my love!" Talika whispered harshly. "Long ago the Creator gave me your power as well as mine -- giving me the power to protect the first race by myself!" 

Drawing back as though he had been slapped, Caleb shook his head slowly. "By yourself? For so long?" he asked, a new emotion popping onto his face. An emotion that could be read as pity. "Come back to me Talika, my love.. my Dark Angel.. the sole protector of the human race... come back to me and all will be forgiven. Together we can give the humans what they deserve for what they did to Hope..." 

"I love another." 

The color draining from his face, Caleb lifted his hand slowly and pointed it at Talika. "A human?! You dare love a human after what they.." 

"No," Talika broke in quietly. "A gargoyle." 

"A what?!" 

"The creatures that stand before you," Talika whispered quietly as she motioned to the clan standing behind her. By now, all wore looks of shock upon their faces as more and more of the story unfolded before them. Shock and confusion. All except Goliath.. he too looked shocked but for a different reason. For never in his time with her had Elisa ever mentioned this Caleb or this portion of the story. "Long ago," Talika continued, her eyes trained on Caleb, "the Creator gave me visions of this time and of my love. With Titania and Oberon's help, we created the second race: the gargoyles," Talika finished proudly, a large smile on her face as she indicated the clan standing behind her. "And after all this time, my love is here to stand beside me," Talika finished as she stepped back and took Goliath's hand in hers, drawing him forward to stand beside her. "Goliath is destined to be by my side and rule with me.. in time, he shall take on your powers and together we will be the protectors of both humans and gargoyles, who in the future shall live together in peace." 

Turning, Goliath looked over at his love, shock written upon his face as well as the faces of his clan and friends. This was the first time that he had ever heard this -- he knew that Elisa and he would be together as long as Elisa maintained the spell between them.. but he had no idea that she planned on giving him half of her mighty powers and naming him as ruler beside her.. plainly, it was just too overwhelming of a thought for him to grasp. 

Stricken, Caleb slowly backed away. "The Creator would never turn his back on me..." 

Sighing, Talika slowly shook her head. "You turned your back on the Creator first, Caleb." 

Speechless, Caleb turned and looked at the group of gargoyles and humans gathered behind his ex-love. Sneering at them all, he felt his heart grow cold once more. "Your friends look shocked," he commented idly as he began pacing back and forth. "Did they not know that they have been standing in the presence of greatness all this time? Did they not know that before them stands the mighty Talika, protector of the human race?.. Or do they just know you as the weak human detective, Elisa Maza? Even though you stand before them as that name, do they know that even now you're inhabiting nothing other than your true form? That if they wound, cut, or maim you, that your wounds will heal right before their eyes? Do they actually think that you are just twenty-eight years old? Don't they know that you are one of the oldest things on this planet? Hell, you're probably even older than the planet itself! That you have lived countless lives masquerading as you did in human form with countless other lives and loves... possibly other children as well?" Caleb asked, his expression growing pained. "Did you even know that the woman you knew as your precious Elisa Maza had a child once? And that she was murdered by the humans that we were sworn to protect?! Huh, did you ever know that?!" Caleb yelled crazily as he quickly sent a fiery bolt of magic at Talika that surrounded her in green mist. 

Gasping, all assembled watched in fear as the mist dissipated from around their friend's form, revealing Talika in the way that Caleb remembered her last: the same body clothed in a dark blue halter top and skirt made completely out of veils, lined in gold, that began below her belly button; a golden tiara on her head; a gold bracelet on her right wrist; a golden ring on her left ring finger; and a golden anklet on her left ankle above her bare foot. Without missing a beat, he then did it to himself: while retaining the same form but now wearing matching dark blue baggy silk pants with a single blue sash across his bare chest, lined in gold with a gold staff in hand and a golden crown on his head. 

"Enough Caleb!" Elisa yelled, watching helplessly as all hope for a future with her clan disappeared before her very eyes. Who was she kidding? The minute that this all began and they began speaking the clan learned too much. 

"If you will not stand by my side then you shall take my place in that resting spot you created for me in the pits of hell!" Caleb yelled as he sent a powerful bolt of magic at Talika. 

Unprepared for the sudden attack, the magic easily caught her full force in the chest, throwing her to the ground in pain. Even worse, because of their link, Goliath quickly fell as well. Turning quickly, Talika saw that Goliath was indeed hurt and now unconscious. Groaning, she turned quickly to the clan. "Watch over him!" she ordered quickly as she turned to soar off into the night sky, Caleb quickly joining her. 

As they both flew back and forth, firing at each other almost constantly, it quickly became apparent to them both that they were equal in power once more. Apparently, as soon as Caleb awakened from his sleep, the power that once belonged to him deserted Talika and reverted back to its rightful owner. With both being equal to each other, that also meant that neither could really get ahead in the battle. Crying out in frustration, Caleb decided to change tactics. Looking down towards the ground, he checked out his selection and then with an evil grin selected his victim. Without warning to those below, he then sent out an extremely powerful bolt down to the ground, striking Lisette where she stood and causing her to fall quickly to the ground. The split second of time that it took for everyone to turn in fear to watch Lisette fall to the ground was all that Caleb needed for a distraction before he swished down out of the night sky, grabbed the red haired man around the neck, and then soared into a ball a flame, disappearing completely from sight. 

Without wasting another second on watching the ball of flame disappear into the night sky, Brooklyn quickly dashed over to Lisette's side and knelt beside her. Worry clogging his throat, he tried shaking her gently, his worry growing when he got no response. Turning, he looked over at the clan and felt his hope lift as Fox left her husband's side and ran over to join him. 

With the precision of a medic, she quickly reached a hand out to check Lisette's pulse. "Weak pulse, labored breathing.." Fox muttered as she tried her best to assess the situation. Turning, she quickly yelled over to the stunned people behind her. "David, alert the infirmary!" she yelled out quickly, her voice urgent. 

But before Xanatos could take a step Brooklyn's voice broke the hushed quiet of the night. "Oh God, she's not breathing!" he yelled out frantically. Not knowing what else to do, he turned quickly and looked up into the night sky and met Talika's eyes. 

Nodding slowly, Talika quickly soared back down to the ground and pushed Fox aside. Stepping closer, Talika knelt beside her friend and assessed the damage herself with her magical senses. Shaking her head, Talika muttered two words quietly, so quietly that only Brooklyn heard: "She's dying." 

Shaking his head in disbelief, Brooklyn quickly turned his large eyes towards his friend. "Elisa.. Talika.. whoever you are, please, you've got to help her," he whispered desperately, tears clouding his vision. 

Nodding her head and doing her best to smile encouragingly at the young second, Talika focused her attention back on her dying friend. Gritting her teeth, she slowly leaned forward and placed her tan hands on Lisette's still form. "Forces of magic that I call upon, to undo this horrible and mighty wrong. This person before me should not be in pain, so now I take it and thus do contain," Elisa chanted quietly, preparing herself for what she knew would follow. Biting her lip, she watched as the green energy left her hands and grew around Lisette's still form.. and then as it gathered together and entered her once more. Unable to hold it in, Talika cried out softly, holding her bare stomach in her hands as she fell away from Lisette and slowly lay back on the soft grass. As Fox quickly knelt above her, Talika felt the pain spread and her breathing slow. "Don't worry," she whispered quietly before darkness enveloped her. 

Smiling, Brooklyn kept his eyes trained on Lisette as her breathing slowly increased. "She's breathing! Elisa, she's breathing!" he called out happily, turning to where his friend once knelt. 

As tears formed in her eyes, Fox met Brooklyn's eyes instead. "She's dead," Fox whispered, not believing it herself as she took her hand away from Elisa's still warm skin. 

Smiling, the young baby gurgles in her mother's warm grip, the arms safe and protective as she stares across the room: grimy dirt floor, a hearth with a small fire burning, a rickety old table with wooden benches, an old bed made out of lumber pressed against the far corner, and the pale and cold sunlight seeping in through the open doorway. 

Laughing, the baby gurgles some more as she is gripped tighter by the hands as she rises higher in the air, moving with the mother as she stands up from her chair quickly. 

Suddenly the room begins to tilt as the baby is lowered quickly to the floor and then laid on the cold dirt. The cold upsets the child and she quickly begins to scream with tear filled eyes. Turning her small head, the young infant watches through blurry eyes as the mother walks towards the open door, never once looking back. 

Then she stops. As the baby continues to cry, the mother stops by the door and weakly reaches one tan hand out and rests it against the door, the hand trembling. Ever so slowly she begins to turn. Crying, the young baby holds out her hands towards her mama as she looks over her shoulder once and meets the child's young eyes. For the first time, the face is revealed: long, silky black hair cascading over her shoulders, large caring brown eyes now filled with tears, a strong chin and a beautiful tan face. It would be impossible for her not to recognize this face. 

"Elisa!" Lisette screamed as she jolted awake, turning back and forth quickly. Everything came rushing back at once as she saw that she was still lying in the same place she must have fallen in the gardens. Turning, she looked quickly to her right and saw her worst nightmare come true: Elisa's body lying beside her.. and she obviously wasn't sleeping. Screaming, Lisette quickly tried to back away from the body, only to encounter warm flesh beside her. Turning, she found none other than Brooklyn kneeling behind her. As the tears streamed down her face, Lisette quickly buried her head into his chest, his strong arms wrapping protectively around her.  
"Oh God Brooklyn.. Elisa," Lisette sobbed, the tears streaming down her tan face -- tan like her mother's. "What happened?" she asked quickly, pulling away to look up into his sad, sad face. 

Sighing, Brooklyn met her strong blue eyes. "After Caleb hit you with that blast.. he grabbed Matt and disappeared... you were dying," Brooklyn whispered, tears entering his eyes at the thought of losing her so soon after he had just found her. 

"But.. but Elisa," Lisette whispered, glancing back over at the body lying behind her. 

"She absorbed the blast from you and into her.." Brooklyn mumbled quietly, guilt filling him to the core. After all, he was the one that asked for Talika to help, knowing deep down what it meant. 

Shaking her head in disbelief, Lisette buried her head back into his chest. "No," Lisette sobbed, the truth of the matter breaking through. "No, she can't be dead!" she cried quietly as the rest of the clan left their unconscious leader's side and formed a circle around their fallen friend, tears filling most of their eyes. 

Suddenly, Talika's body arched up as she gasped for air, her eyes popping open. Surprised, the group stepped back quickly. A large smile appearing on Angela's face, she rushed forward and hugged Talika to her. "Oh Elisa! We thought that you were dead!" she gasped. 

Coughing, Talika smiled weakly and then pulled away from Angela gently. "I'm immortal.. I can't die, remember?" she laughed quietly. Suddenly, the picture of Goliath tumbling to the ground flashed through her eyes. Fearing the worst, she quickly jumped to her feet and ran to his side. Relieved, she saw that, although his breathing was ragged, he had a strong pulse. 

"What's wrong with him?" Angela asked slowly as she joined Talika at her father's side. 

Sighing, Talika gently rubbed a hand through his hair. "About four or five months ago I connected him to me -- kind of like MacBeth and Demona." 

"But why?" Angela asked, confusion covering her face. 

"So I'd never have to worry about him dying again," Talika answered truthfully, the love she felt for him shining on her face. "That shot that Caleb took at me was felt by him as well. I was able to shrug it off, but it was too strong for his system to be able to handle it.. and then with the blast that I took from Lisette.. but don't worry, he'll be just fine," Talika finished with a smile as she slowly reached forward and snapped the magical bond between her and her love with her powers. Deep down, she knew that there was a chance that Goliath would be safe here.. and that if she did happen to fail in the coming battle, she didn't want to take him with her. Unlike the spell with Demona and MacBeth, they didn't have to kill each other in order to die. The spell only kept him alive as long as she lived... she was supposed to be immortal with no chance for death, ensuring that Goliath would then live forever. While the temporary death caused by taking Lisette's blast slowed her down temporarily, it was only temporarily. But with the current spell, if she should ever perish for good, so would her love. If things worked out here tonight, she could always relink him to her later. 

"Why don't you just help him like you did with Lisette?" Angela asked, unaware of what Talika just did but still concerned about her father. 

"Because I'm going to need all the energy I can gather for the coming battle..." 

"Speaking of which, what the hell just happened here?" Xanatos interrupted, stepping forward to face Talika. 

Standing up, Talika faced the group and sighed wearily. "Back in the beginning, the Creator created the two races: humans and fey. He then created four beings to protect these two races... Oberon and Titania were created to protect the fey and Caleb and I were created to protect the human race," Talika explained slowly. 

"He was a protector?" Lexington asked, raising an eyeridge in disbelief. 

"Yes... at one time he was a very good person; all love," Talika whispered, a far away look entering her eyes. "Long, long ago he and I had our first child together.. a precious little girl named Hope. At the time we were the rulers of the humans, and then one day, when Hope was just four years old, the unthinkable happened," Talika stated, a strange light entering her eyes. "Caleb was out taking care of a dispute and I was watching over Hope in the gardens. I thought I heard a noise out front and left her side for just an instant... when I returned I found her dead, a human standing over her still holding the bloody knife," Talika whispered, a single tear dripping down her face. 

"Devastated, I killed the man and knelt by my Hope. I was still kneeling there when Caleb returned... even though I blamed myself, he never did," Talika said, trying to regain control of her emotions as a thoughtful expression flitted across her face. "Instead, he blamed the human.. and from there his grief and anger changed until it covered all humans and he believed that all were evil and that all must die. He went on a killing rampage -- murdering every single human that he came across -- young or old, good or bad. As his equal, I knew that there was no way that I could stop him alone, so I went instead to Oberon and Titania. Together, we captured my love..." 

"How?" Broadway interrupted, hanging on her every word. 

Smiling at the large blue gargoyle, Talika replied, "As you all know, the weakness of Titania and Oberon is iron.. the children of Oberon have nothing to fear from it besides the fact that it makes their magic useless.. or under the control of someone else..." 

"Like Lisette," Brooklyn added as he turned to his love. 

"Yes, like Lisette. For example, remember Angela, when the Magus imprisoned the three weird sisters in iron?" 

"Yes.. it didn't harm them, but it caused for us to be able to tell them what to do," Angela agreed, a thoughtful smile upon her face. 

"Like when Puck was in iron chains and controlled by Demona!" Lex called out eagerly, a similar smile on his face. 

"Correct," Talika replied with a smile. "For Caleb and I, it is dark matter..." 

"But there's no such thing as dark matter.. it's just a myth," Xanatos broke in quickly, disbelief covering his face. 

"No, dark matter is very real.. and Oberon and Titania gathered it up and formed it into an angel... a dark angel that was laid upon his shrouded form in a cavern located near the center of the Earth... forever imprisoning him..." 

"Till now, it seems," Xanatos broke in with a frown. 

"Till now," Talika agreed slowly, a frown upon her own face. 

Throughout the story, Lisette remained in Brooklyn's arms, her thoughts and emotions swirling wildly throughout her mind. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer and slowly parted from him and stepped up to Talika. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked slowly, a tear dripping down her face. 

"About this?" Talika asked quickly, surprised at the sudden question. 

"No.. why didn't you tell me before that you were my mother?" Lisette asked quietly, her eyes remaining fixed on Talika's. 

"What?!" was Talika's astonished reply. 

"Why did you leave father and I? Don't you even remember us?" she asked quickly, a deep hurt becoming evident in her voice. 

"But Lisette, I'm not.." 

"You masqueraded as Jasmine and then married my father, Jean-Marc, didn't you?!" Lisette asked quickly, growing frantic and ignoring the strange stares she was receiving from the group. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm not your mother," Talika replied quietly, sorry to be doing this to her friend. "I have been unable to have any children since Caleb.. I didn't have any children since Hope died," Talika whispered, a knot forming in her heart. 

"You're lying!" Lisette accused as tears began filling her eyes. "I saw your face in the dream!" 

"What dream?" Talika asked in confusion, baffled by the sudden turn of events. 

"Ever since I was a child I've had the same dream... of when my mother left me... I've never been able to see her face because the dream always ended before then... but just now after you took the hurt away... the dream continued and she turned around.. it was you!" Lisette accused, the tears falling down unchecked. 

"But.. but I wasn't even in France at the time of your birth!" Talika muttered in confusion. 

"I know you're her, that you're my mother! You just don't love me! You've never loved me or else you wouldn't have abandoned me!" Lisette cried as the tears poured down her cheeks. Turning, Lisette stumbled away from Talika, ignoring her and the clan's cries for her to stop. Here she had grown up with the knowledge that her mother had disappeared shortly after her birth. When faced with the choice of believing that her mother had either abandoned her or had died, Lisette quickly opted for the death of her mother; for the pain would be far easier to handle than the thought that her mother had abandoned her; in other words, her mother didn't love her. Sobbing, Lisette allowed the pain to fill her.. the pain of being unloved, before she cast a spell and then disappeared in a flash of green light. 

"What in the hell just happened?" Xanatos asked slowly, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the group. 

"I have no idea and no time to find out," Talika muttered as she shook her head sadly. Turning, she slowly began walking away from the group, changing her form to that of a gargoyle in mid-stride. 

"What? Where are you going?" Brooklyn asked quickly as he turned and followed his friend. 

"After Caleb and Matt..." 

"But how? They just disappeared... how can you possibly follow them?!" Brooklyn asked in confusion as he looked back at the assembled clan worriedly. 

Sighing, Talika stopped to stare at Brooklyn. "It only appeared that they disappeared. Really, he just traveled with Matt so fast that it was impossible for our eyes to follow them. It may take a little time, but as long as I go while the trail is still fresh, I should be able to track them." 

"But why would he do that?" Brooklyn asked quickly. 

"Because he wants me to follow them," Talika whispered grimly as she neared the edge of the castle. "Matt is his bait for me and I need to get there before Caleb kills him." 

Stopping dead in his tracks, Brooklyn looked quickly at the grim expression on his friend's face. "If Matt is the bait, why would he kill him?" 

"Because Caleb has never really seen the difference between live bait and dead..." Talika whispered, refusing to believe what she just spelled out so carefully to Brooklyn. 

"But.." 

"When Goliath wakes up," Talika interrupted quickly, sparing one last minute to look at the current leader seeing as how her love was out of commission, "tell him what's going on.. please ask him to wait here till I get back!" Talika pleaded quietly. 

"But, Lis.." 

Shaking her head, Talika turned back towards the night sky. "Look for her if you have time.. otherwise we'll have to deal with that later.." 

"No, I'm coming with you!" Brooklyn interrupted as he jumped up to join her on the parapet. 

"What?" Talika asked quickly, turning in surprise to face the temporary leader of the clan. 

"She's got a point, lad, why would ye be goin' wit' her?" Hudson asked slowly as he moved up next to the two gargoyles. "Wit' Goliath down, even fer awhile, it be yer job ta lead us." 

"You know as well as I do that Goliath wouldn't let Elisa.. er, Talika go alone!" Brooklyn broke in quickly. "Besides, as my first order as temporary leader, I declare that the rest of you shall stay here and look after Goliath -- I'm going with her!" 

As a slow smile spread across his face, Hudson began to nod slowly. "Very well then.. good luck," he replied as he slowly walked back to the clan. 

"Oh no you don't," Talika interrupted as she watched the elder walk away. "You are _not_ going with me Brooklyn! No offense, but you'd just get in the way!" 

"Well, I'm coming with you whether you'd like it or not!" Brooklyn broke in smugly as he jumped off of the parapets and began to soar into the night sky. 

Sighing, Talika quickly followed her friend. "Just promise me to not get involved.. there really is nothing that you can do to help!" 

"I promise," Brooklyn replied as he crossed his fingers behind his back. "Now let's get going!" 

Smiling, Talika nodded her head and soon they were off, heading in the direction that Caleb and Matt had gone. 

After a few minutes of silence, Brooklyn couldn't handle it any longer and finally voiced the question that had been foremost in his mind. "Why didn't Caleb die when you placed the dark matter on him?" 

Sighing, Talika paused in her tracking and turned towards her friend. "We can only be killed by the dark matter if it enters our blood stream.. that's lethal for us. By just having the dark matter touching our skin or on top of us, that causes for our power to leave us.. most likely draining into the dark matter itself.. the darkness being the opposite of our light. It's a painful process.. one that will soon cause for us to fall into a coma-like state," Talika explained, only knowing these facts because she watched it first hand with Caleb.. the hardest thing she ever had to do. 

"What do you think happened to the human that released Caleb?" 

"If the human really did remove the dark matter from Caleb, then he's undoubtedly dead," Talika said grimly as she continued to use her magical senses to pick up the faint trail. 

"You think that Caleb killed him?" Brooklyn asked quietly as his thoughts drifted to Matt, their other detective friend. 

"Well, the dark matter most likely caused the man's death, but if he was still alive by the time that Caleb awoke.. then yes, Caleb did finish him off without a doubt," Talika whispered slowly, her eyes flashing red at the thought. 

"The dark matter would kill a human?" Brooklyn asked slowly, confusion crossing his face. "But I thought that it would.. well, it would just do something to them like it causes the faes' powers to go away..." 

"But the humans have no powers to take away," Talika rebutted quickly. "Like us, the dark matter drains their only power.. in essence, it's their strength, knowledge, awareness... even if the contact is only brief, the person will surely die within a few hours after falling into the coma-like state." 

"Oh," Brooklyn gulped as he followed closely behind his friend. 

Sensing the trail coming to an end, Talika dipped quickly and landed on a large rooftop. 

"Where are we?" Brooklyn whispered as he looked around the deserted area. 

"The Natural History Museum," Talika whispered back as she recognized the familiar building. Turning, she looked around to see where she should turn to next. As her eyes caught a hold of a flickering light that could be seen from one of the many skylights that lined the large roof, Talika knew that the answer was obvious. Holding her fingers to her lips, she slowly turned and tiptoed across the roof till she was able to kneel beside the glass. Looking down, she found what she was looking for. Below lay a large room that was lit by flickering candles. Everywhere she turned she saw object after object that seemed to be from the medieval times. 

"It's a medieval exhibit," Brooklyn whispered from her side. 

Nodding, Talika looked past the large wooden dinner table, the ancient bed, the cage hanging in mid-air with many a wicked looking spike pointing inside, the stretcher, the large stone coffin covered with strange symbols to rest upon an ancient golden throne that housed none other than Caleb, gold staff in hand. Before him lay Matt on some sort of medieval torturing device. His arms were chained tightly above him and his feet were pulled tight and chained below; his mouth sealed shut by a large piece of tape. Even from her distance, she could see his eyes wide with fear as they traced the path of a large blade that swung back and forth over his body, each swipe causing it to drop a notch closer to his middle. At the progress of the blade, it was obvious to Talika that in a matter of minutes her partner would soon be cut in half. Anger building inside of her, she felt her eyes glow a mixture of red and green as she turned to Brooklyn. 

"Wait here," she hissed before turning and diving through the glass skylight and gliding to the floor far below. Changing quickly back into her normal form dressed once more in her royal garb, Talika turned quickly and snapped her fingers, causing the long and sharp blade to disappear just before it would have cut Matt into two pieces. Meeting his eyes, she quickly flashed a worried look. 

Seeing this, Matt nodded back as relief flooded through him, his head dropping back against the hard wooden table. Turning, he watched as his partner turned away from him to face the evil that had taken him. 

"What is the point in this, Caleb?" Talika asked slowly, her anger dying down as the green light faded from her eyes. "Why make me come after you when we both know that we can't beat one another?" 

"Maybe you can't, but I can," Caleb answered as he snapped his fingers. In a flash of green light, a bright white stone suddenly appeared on a gold chain around his neck. 

"Has geology become your new hobby?" Talika muttered quietly as she looked at the stone, completely unimpressed. 

"I see that your sarcasm hasn't left you in the millenniums that we've been apart," Caleb replied with a smile as he stood from the throne and moved a short distance to where a similar bright white box stood on a pedestal. 

Confused, Talika watched as he slowly opened the box. Immediately, a flash of pain went through her body as she slipped to her knees. Putting a hand up to her pounding head, Talika slowly looked up and watched as Caleb removed a long golden chain from the stone box. On the end of the chain hung a single crystal. Fear welling inside of her, she quickly realized that the crystal wasn't just a crystal.. but a black crystal. Actually, it wasn't even black. It was more like when she looked at where the crystal should have been, she saw nothing; like all of the light in that area was being absorbed by the crystal -- the absolute opposite of the light. Like there was  
an empty void in the shape of a crystal.. yet there was substance to the object because Caleb held it firmly in his hands. "Dark matter," Talika whispered weakly, knowing that it couldn't be anything else. 

Laughing at her analysis, Caleb drew closer to Talika, the pain increasing in her body along with an unsettling weakness. Soon, she could barely stay on her knees as her hands pressed firmly on the floor before her, trying their best to support her. Straining, Talika slowly tilted her head and met Caleb's cold blue eyes. "How?" she whispered weakly. 

His smile widening, Caleb drew closer still. "The white stone I wear protects me from our only weakness.. a gift from a new acquaintance." 

From his vantage point on the roof, Brooklyn watched first in confusion and then horror as Caleb advanced on Talika. Deep inside, he knew that there was nothing he could do to help his friend.. then again, on the surface he knew that there was no way in hell he was just going to sit there and watch her be destroyed. Roaring a roar that would impress even Goliath, Brooklyn quickly dove down through the hole that Talika had created. Keeping his wings tight against him, he kept the dive going as he swooped lower and snatched the dark crystal from Caleb's hands. 

"No!" Talika screamed weakly as she watched Brooklyn try to gain altitude in vain. Soon, his own piercing scream of agony joined hers as the dark matter did its job. Quickly, both he and the crystal fell to the ground. 

Smiling, Caleb bent down and picked up the crystal before moving next to the unmoving gargoyle. "Foolish creature," he muttered sadly as he kicked the beast lightly in the side, getting no response. 

Seeing this, Talika urgently tried to get to her feet. "Oh God, no!" she sobbed as she tried to stand on her own, unable to meet Matt's horror stricken eyes as he too looked at their downed friend. 

His smile turning grim, Caleb turned quickly and walked back towards his ex-love, a sad smile on his face. Crying out in pain once again, Talika quickly slipped to the ground. Steeling his emotions, he then slipped the necklace over her head and watched in horrid fascination as the crystal rested against the base of her throat and as all light drained from her as she fell the rest of the way to the ground. Shaking his head and trying to stop the tear that he knew was forming, he then bent slowly down and lifted her gently into his arms. Looking at her there, he couldn't help but hate himself for what he was doing.. what he was doing to his love. As the tear dripped down, he forced his head to look away as he moved across the quiet room -- quiet but for the muffled yells of the remaining police detective -- towards the large stone coffin that rested against one end. Closing his eyes, he slowly and gently lowered his dark angel into the stone box until she rested inside. 

Looking down, he watched with tear filled eyes as Talika struggled to fight the dark matter -- fought the immense pain to stay awake. Shaking, he slowly reached down and took one of her beautiful hands in his. "I'm sorry, my Dark Angel, but it is the only way..." he whispered sadly, his clear blue eyes meeting her pain filled brown. "Perhaps someday we can still be together..." 

As she struggled against the pain, Caleb's words of love found their way to her ears. _Love.. he still thinks that there is any chance for us?_ Talika thought to herself in disbelief as her anger began to build and outshine any pain she was feeling. As her eyes began to burn a weak green, Talika used the last of her strength to whisper one word: "Never" before the light faded and she fell victim to the coma-like sleep. 

Sighing, Caleb tried to fight his own anger as he gently laid his love's slack hand back by her side. Who was he kidding anyway? After their past, there was no chance that he and Talika could ever have a life together again.. she could never love him and return to his side. Yelling in frustration, Caleb ignored the echoes of his voice as he moved in angry strides across the room to the white stone box once more. As his hands reached inside, Caleb shook his head sadly. Perhaps _He_ had been right after all. 

"She must be destroyed before my mission can be completed," Caleb whispered as he slowly drew a wicked looking knife out of the box. The handle of the knife was a glittering gold with sparkling jewels lining the hilt which led up to a completely black blade. His eyes growing wide, Caleb watched as the light around the sharp blade seemingly was absorbed by the dark matter that composed it. 

Watching the mad look in Caleb's eyes that he had seen far too many times in the eyes of killers, Matt Bluestone struggled helplessly against his metal bonds. Turning, he watched with a certain helplessness as the evil protector turned away from the stone box and walked back towards the stone casket that Matt knew held his partner. Yelling uselessly against the tape, Matt turned and looked on the other side of him and at the downed gargoyle. Shaking his head, he watched as the strong gargoyle's labored breathing began to gradually slow. Turning once more, Matt then stared up through the hole in the skylight and towards the starry night above. Then he did something completely out of character for the wise cracking detective he had become: he prayed for the life of his partner and for Brooklyn.. he prayed for them all. 

Castle Wyvern 

Muttering quietly to herself, Angela quickly hurried through the twisting hallways of the dark castle. "She better be here," she hissed as she rounded another turn and closed down on the door that she wanted. Without even bothering to knock, she quickly threw open the large door and rushed into the room. Turning, she found her query sobbing on her bed. 

Without turning, the young woman held her pillow tighter against her face and sobbed out, "Go away Brooklyn!" 

Knowing that there wasn't time for this, Angela quickly slammed the door shut behind her and said, "Brooklyn is gone." 

Baffled at the unexpected female voice behind her, Lisette turned around quickly, revealing a tear streaked face. "What?!" 

Sighing, Angela moved closer and sat on the stiff bed beside her friend, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "Listen Lisette, I'm sorry for what you are feeling... I'm truly sorry about your mother and this mess with Elisa, but we need your help!" she stated quickly, the urgency obvious in her voice. "Father is still unconscious and Elisa and Brooklyn left to find Matt..." 

"Brooklyn went with her?!" Lisette asked in disbelief as she jumped to her feet. "But.. Talika may be able to take care of herself, but there's nothing that Brooklyn would be able to do to help..." 

"I know, we're worried too," Angela broke in, worry filling her to the core. "There's nothing that _any_ of us could do to help!.. except maybe you.." Angela trailed off slowly as she stood up and faced her friend. 

"Me?" Lisette squeaked, unable to believe what she just heard. 

"Lisette, we're just gargoyles... but you're a part of something else.. part of something that may be able to lend a little bit of magical assistance to Elisa!" 

Sighing, Lisette shook her head slowly. "You're right," she whispered, a sad smile covering her face. "I've been letting my emotions cloud my judgment.. and Brooklyn may be in danger because I've been acting like a spoiled child who thought of nothing but herself," Lisette whispered sadly, disgusted with her behavior. "I suppose that it's high time that I start acting my age and become the real adult I was destined to be," she murmured, her voice becoming hard as she quickly cast a spell that covered herself in green mist. 

Coughing, Angela quickly backed away and watched in amazement as the green mist dissipated. "Lisette?" she asked in amazement as she looked at the beautiful woman before her. 

Smiling, Lisette looked down and admired her blue, medieval gown that matched her eye coloring. The gown was her favorite when she lived back in France.. and in the small year or two that it had been since she had worn it last, a few changes had occurred. The tight bosom and flowing skirts revealed her tan skin and womanly body; her pale blond hair trailing loosely down her back with an occasional small braid here and there. Turning, she smiled at the amused look that now covered Angela's beautiful face. "If everyone is getting dressed into their normal clothes, I might as well join them," Lisette stated and she too grinned. "After all, if I will be using my magic, it is only right that I wear my usual clothing." 

Laughing, Angela couldn't help but think back to Princess Katherine in her own medieval garb. In the same instant, a picture of Elisa flashed into her mind. As the smile faded, Angela realized for the first time how similar she and Lisette looked.. actually, they were almost identical. Both were of the same height, Lisette a little shorter.. the same bone structure in the face, Lisette's a little rounder.. the same tan skin and body structure.. the same soft and flowing hair, Lisette's a pale blond opposed to the blue-black of Elisa.. the only real difference would be the eye color Elisa's soft brown eyes opposed to Lisette's striking blue. Why she, or any of the others for that matter, didn't see it before was a mystery to her. 

Seeing her friend's fallen expression, Lisette felt a frown pull the corners of her lips down. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly, afraid that Angela left something out before. 

"Oh, nothing," Angela replied quickly, focusing back on that matter at hand. "I was just wondering where you will search.. after all, Elisa and Brooklyn left long ago.." 

Smiling and waving off Angela's worry, Lisette replied, "Unlike Talika, my search will be quite easy. No doubt Caleb hid his and Matt's position, instead leaving a faint trail of magic for Talika to follow. She, on the other hand, did no such thing with her and Brooklyn..." 

"So you can find them?" Angela asked, a smile spreading across her face as well. 

"Yes.. all I need to do is focus on Brooklyn and pick up his location," Lisette whispered as her face screwed tight in concentration. Suddenly, another large smile lit up her face. "Gotcha," Lisette muttered as she opened her eyes to wave once at Angela before disappearing in a spark of green. 

Museum of Natural History 

As the green mist disappeared from around Lisette, she quickly looked at the source that brought her here. "Brooklyn!" she murmured as she dropped quickly to his side. There was her love, lying in a crumpled heap on the middle of the linoleum floor. From the angle of his position and the way the one wing was broken backwards beneath him, it was obvious to her that he had fallen from some distance to the hard floor. As tears sprang to her eyes she gently reached a hand forward to touch his soft white hair. "Please be alive," she whispered slowly, not knowing enough about life in general to be able to tell. All she knew for a fact was that he wasn't moving or responding to her touch. As this fact drilled its way into her head, Lisette felt her heart slowly break into pieces. Turning, she slowly stood up and faced the rest of the room for the first time, a sharp anger burning within her as she took in all details at once: Matt strapped onto a wooden table and Caleb poised over a stone coffin, bright red blood staining his hands. 

As Caleb watched, the young woman slowly began advancing on his position. "Welcome, Lisette," he muttered quietly, his cold blue eyes meeting hers. Suddenly, the blue of her eyes began to change to a bright green, signifying her anger as a wind sprung up in the large room; caused no doubt by Lisette herself. "Think wisely, young one," Caleb muttered, his eyes never leaving hers, "we've already tried this avenue once this evening, and I would think it apparent to you that your power is no match for mine." 

"How true, _Protector_," Lisette spoke, her voice light and lilting over her soft French accent while a hard line ran beneath it all. "But then again, that was when the fight was between I and a stranger who was only threatening myself... the minute that you take my friends and harm my love... well, let us just say that this is a different matter altogether." 

"Oh.. so you mean that the red gargoyle is not dead yet?" Caleb mocked, his eyes cold as he stepped away from the stone casket. "Well not to fear, my pet, the end is near for him as well." 

"Speaking of loves.. where is yours?" Lisette asked innocently. "Oh, wait.. how silly of me to forget.. she loves another now, is that not correct?" she asked, driving the blow home with her innocent smile. 

"Touché, young one," Caleb answered, trying his best to return the smile. "In any case, she would be the one lying in the stone casket... a knife buried in her belly.. and this would be her blood," Caleb gasped in mock worry as he looked down at his blood stained hands, a deep laugh welling within him. "It is just you and I." 

As fear and anger gripped her even tighter, Lisette clenched her fists together. "So it is," she muttered as she allowed all of her feelings to enter and fuel her. Closing her eyes, Lisette tilted her head up towards the heavens and screamed as all of the doors she had long ago locked came crashing open filling her to the brim with her feelings from the start: the love she had felt for mentor, father, and mother she had never known, the simple amount of pleasure she gained each day from the morning sun, the anger over petty things, and then the guilt of the slaying of her clan, the pain of being burned alive at the stake as the fire consumed her, the fear and shame at the Roman captain's advances, the torture of the look of hatred and confusion on the leader's face before he died, the new hope of friendship she felt with Elisa, the guilt eating her alive from the knowledge that had she only gotten here sooner and not been moping she may have been able to prevent the blood of her friend and mother from staining this evil man's hands, the love of Brooklyn, and the guilt at not being able to save him as well, and the pain over Talika's abandonment of her all those years ago.. all of these experiences, feelings, and emotions filled Lisette till she thought she would explode.. and explode she did with a blast of magic so powerful that all who encountered it should fear for their lives. A blast so powerful that it left her body through every opening and pore within in and gathered into one single beam of light that flew forth and connected with the dark, evil thing that was Caleb and threw him against a far wall.. ending his pitiful life before it could end the lives of anymore innocent people. 

Sobbing from the intense emotions still swirling within her, Lisette slowly climbed off of the floor from where she had fallen after the blast and stumbled over to the large wooden table that held Matt. Wiping away the tears, she quickly used a slight burst of magic to break both chains that restrained him. 

As soon as his hands and feet were free, Matt quickly sat up and ripped the tape off of his mouth. Sliding off of the table, he gently gathered Lisette into his arms and let her cry onto his shoulders. "Shh, you did great," Matt whispered, his voice hoarse from his attempts to yell. 

Shaking the detective off, Lisette stumbled over to Brooklyn and knelt by his side. As the tears poured down her cheeks unchecked, she gently lifted one of his hands into hers. Turning, she watched as Matt knelt beside her. "Is he dead?" Lisette whispered, afraid of the answer. 

Reaching forward, Matt gently felt for a pulse. Sighing in relief, he was unable to keep the smile off of his face as he whispered out, "No, he's alive for now.. but he is getting weaker." 

Laughing, Lisette quickly leaned forward and planted a kiss on Brooklyn's beak, not caring who saw. "But.. Elisa," she gasped quickly as her detective friend rose in her mind. Turning, she quickly jumped to her feet and rushed across the room to the stone casket. Looking within, she saw something that scared her to the core. Elisa, like Brooklyn, lay within the casket not moving.. a single golden hilt sticking out of her uncovered stomach with wet blood all around. "No!" Lisette gasped as she reached forward. 

"Don't touch it!" Matt yelled as he ran up to her side, wishing he didn't see the gruesome image of his partner lying in her own blood. As he stepped closer, a sudden wave of pain and weakness flashed through his body. 

"But we have to get it out of her!" Lisette sobbed as she reached once more for the handle to the knife. 

"No," Matt hissed as he reached forward and pulled Lisette away, all the while clutching his stomach in pain. "Listen, I love Elisa too, but can't you feel it? The blade of the knife is made of dark matter.. it's what hurt Brooklyn!" 

"No.. I don't feel anything," Lisette murmured as she stared at the dark matter. "I'm only half human..." 

"Which probably means that you're still susceptible to it... just not as much as the rest of us," Matt groaned as he backed away further, the pain lessening the further away he got. 

"I don't care... she may not be gone yet," Lisette whispered slowly as she reached her hand forward yet again. 

"No!" Matt called out quickly, his strength returning once more. "If she's still alive then you gotta leave the blade in -- it's slowing the bleeding!" he explained, stopping Lisette's hand with his words. "If you pull it out, then she'll bleed to death!" 

Shaking her head, Lisette debated the matter quickly. "No... she'll die a quicker death if we leave it in," Lisette decided as she stared at Elisa's pale and unmoving face. Grimacing, she reached forward once more and gripped the golden hilt tightly in her hand. Ignoring the sudden flare of pain that flashed through her body, Lisette pulled the long blade from her friend's body, trying not to watch as more of her dark red blood poured forth from the wound. As her body began to grow weaker and the pain increased, Lisette turned to show Matt her prize... and dropped the knife and froze in her place as her eyes saw movement behind him. "Matt!" Lisette screamed urgently as Caleb threw a powerful bolt of magic at the detective, sending him crashing to the ground. Before she had a chance to move herself, he was upon her. 

Gripping her throat tightly with his blood smeared hands, Caleb shoved Lisette backwards till she fell onto the wooden table that once held Matt prisoner. "But you're dead!" Lisette gasped as she struggled for air. 

"No, I'm immortal," Caleb hissed coldly as he leaned over her, squeezing his hands slowly -- easily cutting off her oxygen supply. 

"No!" Lisette gasped as she fought weakly against him. As the air fled her body, it quickly became more and more difficult for her to think. Gasping, Lisette tried in vain to fight him back -- her own small hands clawing and pulling against his large. As spots began to appear in her vision, she fought instinct by turning her hands away from the useless battle against the choke hold and instead scratched at his own neck, her nails connecting with the thin gold chain that housed the white stone. Coughing against the lack of air, Lisette listened as the stone clattered to the floor. 

"For your meddling, I will choke the life out of you!" Caleb replied coldly as his hands tightened even more on her neck, unaware that he was missing his ornamentation. 

Ignoring Caleb, Lisette focused her fading vision on the dark knife lying beside the stone coffin a few feet away from her. Using the last of her energy, she slowly sent her magic out to the knife and drew it closer to her until it seemed to jump off of the floor of its own will and landed firmly in her outstretched hand. Without taking time to think or wasting a heartbeat, she turned her face once more towards Caleb and reached forward with the knife, planting it deeply in his chest. 

Gasping at the sudden flash of pain and weakness that flew through his body, Caleb backed away quickly and looked down in horror at the gold handled knife that was sticking out of his bare chest. Stunned, he looked up slowly and connected eyes with Lisette. "You.. shall.. pay for this," Caleb gasped as a sudden intensity of light surrounded his vision until there was nothing. 

Coughing weakly, Lisette slid away from the table and onto the hard cold floor of the museum. As strength slowly wound its way back into her body, she looked back at the place Caleb once stood. "He disappeared," Lisette whispered in awe, unable to believe her eyes as she replayed the scene in her mind of the mist that suddenly formed around him and then disappeared just as quickly. Shaking her head, her pale long blond hair twisting around her, she quickly decided to puzzle out that mystery later as she slowly climbed to her feet, rubbing her sore neck gingerly. Suddenly, she heard a low moaning from behind her. Turning quickly, she watched as Matt weakly put one hand against the wall as he attempted to get to his feet. 

"Ouch," he muttered quietly as he held a hand against his throbbing head. 

"Matt! Are you alright?" Lisette called out quickly as she stumbled towards him, her long skirts flaring around her. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Matt groaned quietly as a flash of pain went through his skull. "What happened to Caleb?" 

"He's gone," Lisette answered quickly, her eyes traveling back to where he last stood. "Where, I have no idea," she whispered a bit quieter, Matt leaning forward to hear. 

"Huh?" 

"Matt, go check on Elisa!" Lisette ordered quickly as thoughts of her friends returned to her mind. Turning quickly, she rushed over to Brooklyn's side and knelt on the cold floor. Reaching a hand out slowly, she held her shaking hand over his beak. Holding her breath, Lisette waited expectantly until a soft breath of air hit her awaiting fingers. Half sobbing in relief, Lisette drew her hand back and touched it to her lips. "He's still alive!" she cried out happily, a smile lighting her face. 

"So is Elisa.. but for how long I can't say!" Matt cried out grimly as he reached forward to check his partner's pulse. Crying out, he quickly drew his hand away as a flash of pain went through his body. 

"What's wrong?!" Lisette called out quickly as she turned and rushed to Matt's side. 

"I don't know.. there still must be dark matter here.." 

"There probably is some running throughout her body.. which can't be good," Lisette murmured quietly as she stared at the detective's pale face. 

"Yeah, but I shouldn't feel that.." Matt trailed off slowly as his eyes suddenly caught sight of darkness. "She's still wearing the crystal necklace!" Matt cried out suddenly, his eyes focusing on the dreaded dark matter. 

Turning slightly, Lisette's eyes narrowed as they too focused on the necklace. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we?" she asked grimly as her hand darted forward and snatched the necklace off of Elisa's skin, the crystal burning into her hand. Biting her lip against the pain, Lisette quickly darted away from the stone coffin and ran over to the white box. As weakness climbed up her legs, she quickly threw the dreaded jewelry into the white stone box and smashed the cover on. Instantly, the pain faded as her strength slowly returned. 

"That looked like that hurt," Matt commented idly as he hurried over to help Lisette back to Elisa's side. "But it still didn't do the complete trick.. if she does have dark matter running through her blood stream, then that itself will be enough to kill her," Matt muttered quietly, his expression turning sad as he reached a hand out and touched his partner's face gently. 

"Maybe not!" Lisette whispered slowly, a new light entering her eyes as she left their side once more and walked back towards the torture table. There, lying on the floor where it had fallen, was the stone of light that had protected Caleb from the ways of the dark matter. Smiling, Lisette quickly scooped it up and hurried back, proudly showing Matt her find. "Light is the opposite of dark.. maybe, just maybe it will help!" she whispered quickly as she reached down and fastened the necklace around Elisa's neck with Matt's aid. Immediately a bright light began to glow around the white stone till it faded back to normal. "Did it work?" Lisette asked anxiously as she stared down at Elisa's face. 

Suddenly, Talika's eyes blinked open as she stared up at her two friends. "Ouch," she whispered weakly as she tried to lift her head up. 

"I'd say so," Matt replied quickly as he reached a hand down to make his partner sit still. 

"Get me out of here, Matt," Talika hissed quietly as pain flared through her abdomen. 

Nodding, Matt quickly complied and bent low, easily lifting his partner into his arms. "Sorry, sorry," Matt whispered as Talika cried out in pain. 

"Brooklyn.. where's Brooklyn," Talika hissed through a red cloud of pain. "Bring me to him.." 

"He's over here," Matt muttered quietly as he walked over to Brooklyn's side and gently propped Talika up against a wall. 

Hissing against the pain, Talika quickly clamped a hand down firmly against her open wound, trying her best to staunch the bleeding. 

"Are you alright?" Matt asked quickly, worry entering his eyes. 

"Don't worry, it takes a while to bleed to death from a stomach wound," Talika whispered quietly, trying her best attempt at humor. 

"But why aren't you healing?" Lisette asked, confused as to why the detective still suffered from the stab wound. 

"Because I'm assuming that the wound was caused by my only weakness.. henceforth," Talika replied, a grimace crossing her face, "it will heal like it would for any of you.. with time... but enough of that.. we need to help Brooklyn..." 

"But it's okay, he's still alive," Lisette whispered quietly as she knelt beside her love. 

"Not for long," Talika said sadly as she replayed the image of Brooklyn grasping the dark matter crystal tightly in his hand. "We have to help him now or else he'll die." 

"What?!" Lisette gasped, her attention riveted upon her unmoving love. 

"The dark matter.." Talika hissed as another wave of pain rolled through her belly, "it absorbed too much of him. We need to help him and take it away.. take it to someone that can withstand it," Talika whispered as she turned her eyes and stared at Lisette. 

"But.. but I don't know how to do that.. Puck never taught me.." Lisette sputtered, fear entering her eyes. 

"I'll tell you," Talika gasped as a sudden tiredness began to come over her. 

"But.." 

"If you don't do this, he'll die," Talika whispered, fighting the urge to lie back and close her eyes. 

Turning, Lisette looked once more at her love and calmed her fears and emotions. "Let's do it," she whispered, her voice hard with determination. 

Smiling a weak smile, Talika held her hand tighter against her abdomen. "Good then.. but we must hurry," she whispered, knowing that she was losing blood much too fast and that she couldn't resist the urge to sleep for much longer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matt watching her with the same concerned look on his face. Both of them had been at too many crime scenes where a person received such an injury, and both knew that if she didn't get medical attention soon, there was a great chance that she would die. Thanks to the dark matter that wounded her, if this wound did in fact cause her death, there would be no coming back. 

"What do I do?" Lisette asked quickly, missing the looks being sent between Matt and Talika. 

Focusing back on that matter at hand, Talika looked at the crumpled form of Brooklyn before her. "First," she gasped, her breathing becoming ragged, "you need to straighten him out... bend his wing back in a normal position." 

"Matt, help me!" Lisette ordered as she quickly complied, moving Brooklyn ever so gently for fear of harming him further. 

"Now.. you must place.. place your hands on his chest," Talika whispered, fighting the darkness that was hounding her. 

Nodding slightly, Lisette moved her hands forward and placed them gently on Brooklyn's brick red chest. "Now what?" she cried urgently, turning to look at her friend. "Elisa!" she called out frantically as she saw that her eyes had closed. 

At Lisette's shrill call, Talika's eyes popped open quickly. Shaking her head, she whispered, "Repeat.. after me... forces of magic.. that I call upon..." 

"Forces of magic that I call upon," Lisette whispered quietly, her attention focused on the slow, unsteady beat of Brooklyn's heart. 

"To.. undo this horrible.. and mighty wrong.." 

"To undo this horrible and mighty wrong," Lisette repeated solemnly. 

"This person before me.. should not be in pain," Talika whispered quietly, her hand falling away from her stab wound and to the ground beside her. 

"This person before me should not be in pain," Lisette whispered, chancing a worried glance over at Elisa. 

"So now.. I take it.. and thus do contain.." Talika whispered before her eyes closed and she slumped down against the wall. 

"So now I take it and thus do contain," Lisette whispered. As she watched in awe, a green energy began building in her hands before it spread out to cover Brooklyn, glowing the brightest over his broken wing and over his heart. Then, the green magic quickly left and covered Lisette's hands once more. Crying out, the feeling of the dark matter entered her once more as a sudden weakness overcame her. Luckily, Matt was behind her and ready to catch Lisette as she fell backwards, screaming out as a blinding pain filled her body. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn slowly sat up from his position. Stunned, the first thing he saw was Elisa propped up against the wall in front of him, her head lying on her chest and dark red blood covering her tanned stomach. "Elisa!" he yelled quickly, just as the sounds around him entered his ears... the sounds of someone in tremendous pain. Surprised, he turned his head slightly and saw Lisette lying on the linoleum floor in a dark blue medieval gown, twisting back and forth as she screamed in pain, Matt standing beside her with a lost expression on his face. "What happened? What's wrong?!" Brooklyn yelled out quickly as he jumped up and rushed over to Lisette. Scared to death, he knelt by her side and gathered her into his arms as tears poured down her cheeks, her face screwed tight in pain. 

Before Matt had a chance to answer, Lisette's eyes opened slowly as her body slowly untightened. "Brooklyn?" she whispered hopefully as one hand held her stomach tightly. 

"Lisette, are you alright?" Brooklyn asked quickly, totally confused. 

"No, not really," she murmured quietly as the pain slowly died away, leaving her stomach and heart hurting like they've never hurt before.. not to mention a constant ache back where her wing would be if she was a gargoyle. 

"What happened to Elisa?" Brooklyn asked, his eyes darting back to her unmoving form, Matt kneeling by her side. 

"She's just unconscious, but we better get her to a hospital and fast," Matt muttered as he checked his partner's stats. "Lisette, are you well enough to.." Matt broke off as he turned a concerned glance back at the young woman who just saved Brooklyn.. and all of their lives. 

Knowing what he was going to ask, Lisette nodded her head slowly. "I can get us back to the castle.. just bring her over here," Lisette whispered quietly, grimacing as yet another wave of pain traveled throughout her body. 

Nodding his head, Matt gently gathered his partner into his arms and carried her over to Brooklyn, who now was holding Lisette in his arms. "How cliché," Lisette whispered quietly, a small smile on her face as she looked around at the four of them. "The women are the ones who came to the rescue and we go home looking as though the guys did everything," she muttered sarcastically as the green mist began surrounding the four.. the mist that would take them home. 

Castle Wyvern -- three weeks later 

Sighing, Lisette watched as the sun slowly slid down over the horizon. For once, Goliath slept on a different tower, leaving Lisette the best view that the castle offered on the highest tower of them all. Smiling softly, she watched as the sky turned from the light sky blue to the orange, yellows, and golds that made up the perfect sunset.. soon, even those colors were gone and replaced by reds, purples, and eventually blues. "All the colors of the rainbow to be seen each day in a sunset," she whispered as a soft wind ruffled her blond hair. 

"Nice dress." 

Turning quickly, Lisette watched as Elisa climbed the final steps that led to the top of the tower. Looking down, Lisette admired the soft dark red velvet that made up one of her many medieval gowns.. her usual clothing nowadays. "I gave the modern style of jeans and a shirt a try and have decided that, for now at least and to Fox's great consternation, it didn't hurt to dress in the style that I am accustomed to," she murmured as she cast her attention back to the glorious sunset. 

Nodding, Elisa limped slowly to Lisette's side. While that may be true, Elisa herself preferred the jeans combo, apparent by the usual outfit that was customary for her. 

"How's your wound?" Lisette asked, not taking her attention off of the setting sun. 

"It's healing.. slowly, yes, but it is healing," Elisa muttered as she gingerly patted the black tee-shirt she wore that so conveniently hid the large white bandage that wound its way around her middle. "But that's not what I came up here to discuss." 

"Oh?" Lisette asked, trying to show nonchalance as she turned to face the beautiful detective. 

"No, it wasn't. I came to talk to you about what you said to me before I left to search for.. for Caleb," Elisa whispered, a confused frown flitting across her face at the mention of his name. Ever since when she had awoken in the castle infirmary and heard of what happened to Caleb, she had been thinking of nothing else. How could he have escaped? From having that same blasted knife stuck in her, she knew first hand that there was no way possible that he could have transported himself out of there.. which left a puzzling mystery. Who did take Caleb away in a cloud of smoke?.. and was he still alive? Shaking her head, Elisa focused back on that matter at hand. "Lisette, you and the clan now know the whole truth about me.. my past and everything that it entails..." 

"Are you afraid that someone.. one of the select few whether it be the clan, Matt, or Xanatos and family, will tell another about your secret?" Lisette interrupted as she turned back towards the setting sun, dodging around the subject that Elisa was trying to broach. 

"I trust the clan and Matt with my life.. the only one that I would be worried about would be Xanatos, and I think that the threat of death is sufficient enough to keep his mouth shut for now," Elisa muttered, unable to stop the grin that graced her face. "But once more you know that isn't why I walked up all those damn steps to get up here..." 

"Yes, but.." 

"Lisette, I'm sorry, but I'm not your mother..." 

"But the dream was real!" Lisette cried out quickly, trying to hold back the tears as she turned to face Elisa. "I wasn't making it up and I didn't just subconsciously put you in the dream to stand for something else as Brooklyn is trying to tell me I have!" 

"I know that you're not doing that and I know that the dream is real..." Elisa whispered fiercely as she grabbed Lisette's forearms and forced her to meet her eyes. "Which is what makes this matter so confusing. I'm not your mother; I wasn't even there.. which brings up the question of who managed to have my face.." Elisa trailed off quietly, her mind spinning. 

"That as well as the question of why she abandoned me so long ago.. why she would hate me so much as to leave me all alone with papa," Lisette whispered, the tears dripping down her face. 

Her heart breaking, Elisa quickly drew Lisette into her arms and held her tightly. "No, Lisette... whoever your mother was.. wherever she may have gone, I'm sure that she loved you very much!" Elisa whispered as Lisette sobbed into her arms. "She never abandoned you -- she must have been forced to leave you and your father for some reason.." 

"How do you know that for sure?" Lisette mumbled quietly as she stepped back and looked into Elisa's large brown eyes. 

"Because no mother could ever leave a child like you behind unless it was a matter of life or death," Elisa answered confidently, smiling softly at the young woman. 

Smiling at the kind and sincere words, Lisette pulled forward and hugged Elisa tightly, only pulling back when Elisa cried out in pain. "Sorry," Lisette whispered sheepishly as Elisa held her hand tightly to her stomach. 

"Like I said earlier.. slowly healing," Elisa commented with a wry smile. 

Turning as one, both women moved back towards the stone that lined the edge of the tower and watched as the sun finished its trail over the horizon. "Do you ever think of Hope?" Lisette asked quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. 

"All the time," Elisa whispered as she watched the golden rays disappear.. a picture of Hope's blond curly hair and smiling face popping into her head. 

"I'm sorry that you lost your daughter," Lisette whispered quietly, thoughts of her mother floating through her mind. 

"So am I.. but I've gained so much since then.." 

"Luckily for you, not another daughter!" Lisette cried out suddenly, a large smile on her face. 

Turning, Elisa looked at Lisette and smiled sincerely at the younger woman. "I would have been proud to have you as my daughter." 

Turning serious, Lisette smiled broadly. "And you as my mother... although you look way too young to ever be my mother!" Lisette laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Why, it looks as though there is only nine years between us!" 

"If anything, I'm way too _ old_ to be your mother!" Elisa laughed. "Caleb was right about one thing..." 

"Like what?" 

"I'm probably older than the dirt that covers most of this land!" 

"Oh là là! You are old!" Lisette cried out, her laughter joining Elisa's as darkness covered the land and as seven stone statues awoke from their daily sleep far below. For even as the sun set on the past day for some, a new night was about to begin for others. Endings and new beginnings are what life is all about.

**THE END**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	8. La Rose D'Or

La Rose D'Or

****"La Rose D'Or"  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 01/21/99

Revised on: 07/22/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. In addition, the French fairy tale, "La Rose D'Or," was published in  Andrée Vary's _Contes et legendes de France _-- and please forgive my translation. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the sixth part of the Talika series. 

Brief summary:  Fairy tales are just tales, written words on a printed page or stories past down through generations... they can't harm the living -- or can they?

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

**_La Rose D'Or_**

Cringing against the biting wind, Lisette pulled her burgundy cloak tighter around her body. On the ramparts of the old castle perched high above the city, the mild wind felt on the streets below had been changed into a hard, abusive force -- a force to be reckoned with. It was from this wind that Lisette tried her best to hide as she waited for the sun to set. 

"New dress?" 

Surprised at the intrusion into her solitude, Lisette turned quickly to see Elisa's proud form standing behind her. Raising a hand, Lisette quickly tucked a stray strand of pale blond hair behind her ear. "Very old, actually," she murmured as she turned her attention back to the gargoyle statues. The dress that Elisa was referring to was one that she always held dear back when she was living with Craigen in France. Then again, it wasn't the original, but one she created with her magic. 

The dress was a deep red velvet that clung to her upper body and flared out around her hips. Around her waist was loosely tied a single matching cord. Per usual, her long blond hair was lying free, blowing in the fierce wind save for the two small braids that extended down from each temple. Because of the wind, the dress lay flat against every curve of her body, the soft velvet cape that lay draped around a small comfort from the cold. 

Noting this, Elisa hid her smile. "A bit windy tonight, wouldn't you say?" 

"Yes... a big storm is coming tonight," Lisette murmured as she turned her attention up to the stormy heavens above. 

The storm had been brewing all day, finally showing its menace as the storm clouds covered the fall sun, completely blocking out its warm rays. As of yet, no rain had fallen, but by the rumbling of the heavens and the streaks of lighting, it was evident that the depth of the storm had yet to show its ugly face. 

"And what makes you say that?" Elisa asked, laughter in her voice as she smiled at the young woman, her tone implying that the answer was obvious. 

Turning, Lisette fixed her somber blue eyes on Elisa, the eyes that usually only held mirth and laughter. "Can't you feel it? Can't you feel the power waiting to be unleashed?" she whispered, her gaze drifting up to the stormy sky towering above them. 

A little unnerved by such a serious expression on a usually light hearted face, Elisa forced a laugh. "I usually prefer watching the Weather Channel to using my senses." 

Shaking her head, Lisette bit back a frown. "Talika," she said quietly, speaking the sacred name of her friend, "surely _you_ feel it... the power. Something... something is going to happen tonight..." 

Surprised at the use of her name and at the intensity of her young friend's voice, Elisa shook her head slowly. "Lisette, you're getting excited over nothing," she said quietly as she silently searched the dark night with magic fingers. Even though she felt nothing, Elisa nonetheless felt the cold fingers of apprehension trail a slimy path down her back. With Lisette's gown flapping in the wind, the hood of her cloak shielding everything but her bright blue eyes, and the rest of the cloak standing out behind her, she was truly a sight from the past. Shaking her head, Elisa reached forward and turned Lisette till they were facing one another. "I sense nothing but a big storm brewing." 

Moving her gaze, Lisette turned her eyes to those of her mentor and friend. All that she saw reflected in those unfathomable brown eyes was puzzlement and concern. Sighing, Lisette broke her stare and shook her head slowly. "I suppose that if the mighty Talika, protector of the first race, cannot detect anything amiss in this stormy night, then I truly have nothing to fear," she said, a small smile shaping her mouth. "Still, as Craigen would say, the Fair Folk are out working their ways this eve." 

Laughing, Elisa impulsively pulled her friend forward in a hug. "Don't worry, the only member of the 'fair folk' around this evening is going to be tied up all night with Xanatos in board meetings. Now let's go get our guys before they glide away." 

Surprised at her words, Lisette turned back towards the parapets. There stood the clan, awake and talking amongst themselves. "I didn't even realize that the sun had set," Lisette mumbled in amazement. 

Before Elisa could reply, a booming crack of thunder resounded through the city at the same instant that a bright flash of lighting lit up the sky. As though the thunder was really the sound of the lightning striking the clouds wide open, a sudden torrent of rain plummeted forth, surprising everyone. 

Reacting instantly, Lisette mumbled quick words in a mixture of French and Latin as her eyes flashed green. Quickly a green fog enveloped the clan and the two women; a second later they disappeared. 

At that same instant, the group reappeared in another flash of green in the warm and dry Great Hall. As the shock on the clan's faces was replaced by understanding, they turned as one towards the two women. 

"Elisa, my love, do we have you to thank for rescuing us from the rain?" Goliath asked with a smile as he crossed the room and enveloped her in a tender embrace. 

Smiling up at Goliath's smiling face and the feeling of being in his strong arms, Elisa shook her head slowly. "Sorry Big Guy, but the credit for the quick save from the downpour belongs to our young friend over there," Elisa said as she nodded in Lisette's direction. 

"Ah, so the beautiful Mage Magique comes to the rescue once again?" Brooklyn asked, pronouncing the French words perfectly as he too began across the room, a shy smile on his face. 

Laughing at his words, Lisette impulsively finished off the rest of the distance and gave Brooklyn a quick hug and a soft kiss on the cheek. "Good evening, Brooklyn," she said, her French accent faint but present. 

Smiling at the open displays of affection by the two couples, Hudson shook his head before clearing his throat loudly. As the two couples quickly stepped apart with embarrassed glances at one another, the smile grew larger. "Aye lad and lassies, there still be eyes in the room." 

"Hudson, I.." Goliath began, his dark face turned even darker by embarrassment. 

Laughing softly, Hudson held up his hand in order to stall his leader's words. "Save it lad.. it is nay important. I be sure that all of ye have somethin' that we should be doin' now. After all, I doubt that any of ye should be wantin' to patrol in the storm that be brewin' outside." 

"Father?" Angela asked expectantly, the idea of a night off sounding extremely appealing to her. 

Clearing his throat, Goliath nodded slowly. "A wise decision, Hudson. The weather is not safe for gliding tonight. We shall have to wait out the storm inside -- although I would like for each of you to stick around the castle in case the storm dissipates." 

Nodding their heads in agreement, the clan quickly scattered -- all most likely fearing that their leader would change his mind and call them back in to duty right then. Hudson, with Bronx following on his heels, headed down the hallway that led to the entertainment room that had been given over to the gargoyles -- no doubt to watch some television show that he found so entertaining. Lexington, too, headed in that general direction, for the computers could be found there as well. As for Broadway and Angela, their destination was most likely the kitchen, while Brooklyn and Lisette slipped down another hallway, just glad to be alone. 

Smiling, Elisa slipped back into Goliath's embrace. "Hmm.. a night off you say? This is something new... now when was the last time that we ever had a night off at the same time?" 

Smiling softly down at his love, Goliath ran a talon gently through her long black hair. "Too long, it seems. Shall we?" he asked, extending his arm out invitingly for her. 

Grinning at his gentlemanly behavior, Elisa faked a curtsy before sliding her arm through his. "Bien sûr , mon petit chou," Elisa said happily, slipping into an accent similar to Lisette's. 

Shaking his head, Goliath began leading her down one of the other hallways branching off of the large room. "Which means?" 

"I said, 'of course, my little cabbage.'" 

"Little cabbage?" Goliath asked, amusement edging his voice as they disappeared from sight. 

Laughing, Lisette walked beside Brooklyn in the candle lit hallways. "Hmm, I wonder what put Goliath in such a good mood that warranted a night off?" 

Smiling at his love, Brooklyn shook his head slowly. "Lisette, how long has it been since Goliath and Elisa have been able to have a quiet night to themselves?" he asked with a grin. 

Pausing, Lisette pondered the question for a few seconds. "To be honest, I cannot remember..." 

"Exactly. Besides, are you really one to complain?" Brooklyn asked quickly, his grin widening as he pulled her forward and continued walking down the hall. "Because if Goliath gets a night off, then so do we!" 

Laughing, Lisette pulled close and entwined her arm with his. "How true.. so what are we actually going to do with a night off?" 

"Well," Brooklyn said as he wiggled his eye ridges comically, "we could always..." 

"Lisette?" 

Stopping in mid-stride, the couple turned to the side and saw that they were now standing in front of the open door of the nursery. Inside, they saw a disheveled Fox holding a crying Alexander in her arms. "Yes, Fox?" Lisette asked as she stepped away from Brooklyn and entered the nursery. From the toys strewn all about, it was obvious to her that Owen wasn't around, for the manservant always kept things neat. 

"Oh Lisette, thank God you're here!" Fox cried out as she rushed forward. 

"What? What is wrong?" Lisette asked, concern lighting her face as Brooklyn entered the room behind her, surveying it for danger. 

Sighing in exasperation, Fox blew a stray strand of red hair out of her face as she jiggled Alex in her arms. "Ugh! Owen is busy with David in a board meeting and the baby sitter just canceled on me! I have an appointment that I'm due at soon and I can't get Alex to sleep!! Do you know where Lexington is?" 

"Uh.. no..," Lisette trailed off as she shot Brooklyn a look. 

"Great, just great. Now I'm going to be late for my appointment!" Fox cried, her frustration upsetting Alex and causing him to cry. 

Trying to hide her smile at the harried woman, Lisette quickly stepped forward. "If you would like, I can go ahead and put Alex to bed so that you can go to your meeting." 

Almost at the same time, both Brooklyn and Fox gave Lisette their full attention. 

"Would you please?" Fox asked, hope shining in her eyes. 

Biting back another smile, Lisette reached forward and took the screaming baby gently away from his mother and cradled him over her shoulder. "I would be glad to put him to bed Fox. Go ahead, I have it covered," she reassured as Alex began to quiet down. 

Smiling her thanks, Fox reached forward, kissed Alex quickly, and then rushed from the room. 

As soon as the woman was gone, Lisette began rocking young Alex in her arms as she began walking towards the crib at the far side of the room. Smiling softly, she slowly lowered the young baby into the luxurious crib and pulled the soft blankets over his tiny body. To her surprise and dismay, the baby stared up at her with wide blue eyes. "Ah, ma petite chou... aren't you sleepy yet?" 

To this, Alex simply gurgled and smiled a toothless smile. 

Sighing, Brooklyn crossed the room and stood beside Lisette, his arms crossed over his chest. "I take it that our night off has been canceled?" he asked, the disappointment evident in his voice. 

Shaking her head, Lisette frowned thoughtfully. "Of course not, Brooklyn," she finally stated as she tore her eyes away from the adorable baby and met Brooklyn's glance. "Think of it this way.. the sooner that we get young Alexander to sleep, the sooner we can have our time together!" 

Unable to resist Lisette's contagious smile, Brooklyn grinned in response. "Okay, deal. But, how do we get him to sleep?" he asked as he took in Alex's smiling face. "I may not be an expert on dealing with kids, but he sure doesn't look tired to me." 

Sighing, Lisette had to agree. "Let's see... what can we do to put you to sleep?" 

"Why don't you just cast a spell on him or something?" Brooklyn suddenly asked, a grin lighting up his face. "Don't you know a sleep spell or something?" 

Laughing lightly, Lisette turned towards Brooklyn and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'd like to try the conventional way of putting an enfant to sleep first!" 

Smiling, Brooklyn quickly stepped away so as to avoid being hit more. "Okay, well let's at least keep that in mind as a last resort!" 

Shaking her head, Lisette laughed again. "We shall see, Brooklyn," she replied as she turned once more back to the gurgling baby. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as an idea came to mind. "Do you like fairy tales young one?" she asked as she smiled softly down into the crib. 

Laughing up at the young woman, Alex reached his chubby hands up and toyed with her long hair that reached down to him. 

"I'll take that as a yes," Lisette laughed. "Well then, this is a story that my teacher, Craigen, told me when I was young. It is an old French tale called 'La Rose D'Or'... or 'The Golden Rose,'" Lisette whispered quietly, her voice hypnotic as Alex watched her lips move. 

Sighing, Brooklyn moved over to a rocking chair across the room and settled himself in for the tale. "This could take a while," he muttered quietly as he watched his beautiful love spinning tales of days long past. 

"Long ago, in a time long past, there was a king and queen who had a handsome son and a young, beautiful daughter. The queen, beautiful as well, was in the habit of always taking long walks in the nearby woods, always carrying a golden rose in hand. One day, when she returned from an exceptionally long walk through those woods, she realized that she had lost her rose somewhere during the course of her walking. So, the queen went to see her beautiful children, and to them she said:

You both must return to the woods that I traveled  
and search for my golden rose. Whoever returns my  
rose to me will have your father's kingdom. 

With such a reward, the two children left together to search for the rose. After some time, they arrived in the forest where their mother had walked earlier. There, the two searched and searched for their mother's lost rose. After having searched well, the young girl finally found the golden rose. Rising quickly, she called out to her big brother and told him: 

My brother, I have found Mama's rose. 

But her brother said: 

Give it to me. It's me who will bring it to her. 

The young girl replied: 

No. It's me who found it, I will hold it. 

In a fit of anger, the brother grabbed her by the throat..." 

"What?!" 

Startled out of her tale, Lisette turned quickly to see Brooklyn looking at her with wide eyes. "Pardon?" Lisette asked, confusion written across her face. 

"What kind of a story are you telling? The brother is strangling his sister?" Brooklyn asked in disbelief as he climbed out of the rocking chair he had settled into and crossed the room. 

"What do you mean? I am merely telling a story that Craigen told me when I was young.." 

"You can't tell that to Alex!" Brooklyn gasped, his eyes wide as he looked at Lisette in disbelief. 

"But why not?" Lisette asked again, still not understanding. 

"Okay, maybe it's just me, but I highly doubt that this is a Walt Disney approved bed time story! I mean, violence?" 

"But that is how all tales in France are," Lisette replied indignantly, her eyes flashing green. "Unlike you Americans, we do not change old tales around in order to spare children of the truth!" 

"Yeah, but..." Brooklyn began, his own voice rising when a sudden cry broke into their argument. Surprised, Lisette and Brooklyn glanced down into Alex's crib just in time to see the young heir's eyes fill with tears. "Uh oh," Brooklyn muttered. 

"Ah zût!" Lisette cursed as she quickly brought her hands down and gently tried to soothe the young child. "Now look what you have done!" she cried to Brooklyn as Alex began to scream. 

"Me?" Brooklyn gasped in disbelief. "You were the one who was trying to tell him a horror story before bed time!" 

Sighing, Lisette shook her head slowly. It did neither of them any good to sit there and argue over whose fault it was. In the end, it was probably both. "Now what?" she asked as Alex's screams became louder and more insistent. 

"What is going on in here?" 

Groaning, Lisette and Brooklyn turned slowly and watched as Goliath and Elisa entered the room, bewildered looks on their faces. Sighing, Lisette shook her head slowly and cursed the dark and stormy night. "We.. we were trying to put Alex to bed for Fox and we.. had a bit of a disagreement over the story I was telling," Lisette replied slowly as she glanced again at the screaming baby. 

"Well, is there not anything you can do to get him to quit screaming before he brings the whole castle in? We heard his cries from all the way down the hall!" Goliath yelled out, wincing as a particularly loud scream was heard. 

As a headache began to form in the further regions of his mind from the noise, Brooklyn quickly reached out a hand and gently tugged on Lisette's sleeve. "Backup plan?" he pleaded quietly. 

Sighing, Lisette nodded her head slowly. "Oh, Puck would be very upset at me for doing this... then again, what could it hurt?" Lisette questioned herself as she straightened her shoulders. Smiling down at the young child, Lisette raised her hands over the crib. "The night grows old and the time comes near for you, young child, to sleep sans fear," Lisette chanted as a gathering of green energies formed around her raised hands. A few seconds later, the magic dispersed and formed a hazy cloud around the young heir. Smiling, Lisette watched as Alex's eyes slowly fluttered once, and then again before drifting shut. "Sleep well, young one in your enchanted sleep," Lisette whispered quietly. 

Relieved at the sudden quiet, Goliath turned his eyes on the young mage. "What did you do?" 

Smiling, Elisa looped her arm through her love's and was about to reply when a sudden flash of green caught her eye. Turning quickly, she saw that the magic was originating from above Alexander's crib. Confused, Elisa was about to probe the magic when it brightened and flew forth, surrounding the four people in the room. "Oh no," Elisa sighed as the green grew brighter until the room disappeared from around them, marked by a single clap of thunder from outside. 

Shaking her head, Lisette watched as the green magic cleared from around her. "What in the world just happened?" she breathed as she turned around in amazement. Instead of the nursery, she now found herself in the middle of a forest, towering trees on each side. From the colors around her, she could see that the sun was just beginning to set. Confused, Lisette looked down and saw that she was holding a golden rose in one hand. "What?" she murmured in amazement. 

"You're not listening, little sister. Give it to me!" 

"What?" Lisette asked again as she glanced up. Standing before her was a young man, about her age, wearing clothing from her own time -- breeches, shirt, and a cloak swirling about him. His hair was blond like hers, and his blue eyes sparkled coldly as he drew nearer. 

"I said, give.. it.. to.. me," the man ground out slowly as his hands shot out quickly and wrapped around Lisette's slender neck. 

"No!" Lisette gasped as they began to squeeze slowly, easily cutting off her air supply. Dropping the damn rose to the ground, Lisette quickly brought her hands up to his and tried prying them away. It was no use -- he was just too strong. As the man squeezed ever tighter, comprehension dawned on her. _Alex... he put me in my tale.. I'm in the tale!_ Lisette screamed in her foggy mind. 

As anger clouded his vision, the man squeezed harder and harder as his sister fought his hold, desperately kicking and scratching at him. Harder he squeezed until his little sister fought no more. Only then did sense once more return to his mind. Shocked, he quickly released his death grip on Lisette's neck and watched in shock as she dropped lifelessly to the hard earth. "What have I done? What have I done?!" 

Shaking his head, he looked at his dead sister. She looked so peaceful, lying there on the ground with her golden hair spread out like a halo beneath her head. So peaceful and dead. "Oh, Mother and Father are going to kill me!" he groaned as he looked around the deserted wood. Up above, the sun began its slow decent over the horizon. Grumbling about his luck and temper, the young man slowly bent down and began digging a shallow hole in the earth with a branch he found. When the hole was to the right proportions, he then scooped his cooling sister into his arms and dropped her body roughly into the crude hole. "Rest in peace," he muttered as he kicked some of the dirt onto her beautiful red gown and onto her pale cheeks. When he got tired with the dirt, he then moved to the branches that littered the forest floor and began dropping those onto the hole until it was covered from sight. 

Sighing, he then scooped up the dreaded golden rose and turned away from the burial ground of his only sister with no more than a scowl in her direction before heading back towards his parents' castle, never once seeing the iridescent shape of his dead sister behind him. "And what will I tell them when they ask of her? That the wolves got her?" Sighing, he knew that he could do nothing else if he ever wanted to get the kingdom he so desired. 

"You bastard!" the ghost of Lisette screamed. "You killed me and all you worry about is what to tell your mother and father?!" To her horror, the young man didn't even flinch at her scream. "You can't hear me, can you?" she asked, getting right in front of his face as he walked steadily on. "You can't hear me because I'm dead.." Lisette gasped. "I'm a ghost." 

As the green mist cleared from around Elisa, she glanced quickly around. To her relief, Goliath was standing beside her... although, he was a much changed Goliath. "What are you wearing?" Elisa asked quickly, trying to hide her smile. 

"What?" Goliath asked, still trying to figure out what just happened. Glancing down, he saw that instead of his loin cloth, he was now wearing a pair of dark breeches and a burgundy shirt. 

"You're wearing a crown!" Elisa laughed as she took in the sight. Sure enough, when Goliath lifted his hand to the top of his head, he fingered a heavy golden crown that topped his brow. Never before had Elisa seen Goliath in human clothes, and the sight was enough to cause her to stagger to her knees as laughter rolled through her. 

Huffing at her laughter, Goliath turned and looked down at his love. "Yes, well have you looked at yourself yet?" 

As she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes, Elisa looked down at herself.. and stopped dead when she took in the sight. "I'm wearing a dress?!" she gasped in horror. Instead of her usual jean and tee shirt combo, Elisa was now wearing a dark blue medieval gown, reminiscent of the kind that Lisette usually wore. Getting slowly to her feet, Elisa looked around for the first time and took in their surroundings. They seemed to be standing in some sort of hall with two large and ornately decorated chairs standing on a raised dais of sorts behind them against the far wall. 

"Where are we? What happened?" Goliath asked as he too looked around in amazement. 

"I have no idea, Big Guy," Elisa murmured as she stepped closer to Goliath and hugged him briefly. "The last I remember," she began as she looked up into his dark eyes, "is a flare of magic that originated from Alex's crib.." 

"Alex did this?" Goliath asked in amazement as he looked around. "But Alex was asleep, wasn't he?" 

"Yes.. but it was an enchanted sleep.." Elisa murmured as she racked her mind for answers. "Perhaps, the magic in Lisette's spell was enough to enhance his own to..." 

"But if that is the case," Goliath interrupted quickly, his frown deepening, "then where is Brooklyn and Lisette?" 

"Ah hem." 

Startled, Elisa and Goliath stepped apart and turned quickly. Standing at the door to the large room was a young man dressed in a page uniform from back in the olden days. 

"Your son, the Prince, is here to see you, your royal majesties," the man said quickly. 

Sending Elisa a confused glance, Goliath turned towards the page and nodded quietly. "Right.. uh, send him in," Goliath answered in his deep baritone. 

Nodding, the man quickly turned on his heel and disappeared out the door. An instant later a different young man walked in. It was apparent from his clothes that this was the Prince the page had been referring to. As soon as his eyes lit upon Elisa and Goliath, the man's eyes turned sad and his shoulders sloped. Very slowly, he walked across the large room and then knelt before Elisa, his head bowed down. As tears streaked down his face, he held out a shaking hand and lifted up a golden rose. 

Confused, Elisa shot a look at Goliath. Shaking his head, Goliath motioned for Elisa to take the rose from the man. Sighing, Elisa did as indicated and delicately held up the beautiful object. 

Sighing, Lisette quickly shoved her way through the open door and ran into the room she had seen her murderer enter. The sight before her though, was enough to stop her in her tracks. "Elisa, Goliath!" she called out happily as she quickly ran across the room to them. To her great dismay, she got no response as Elisa tenderly held the dreaded golden rose, confusion written across her face. "No, not you too!" Lisette whispered, her voice cracking as invisible tears formed in her eyes. 

"Mother," the man whispered quietly, his eyes focused on the floor beneath him, "I have found your golden rose..." 

"He didn't find the rose, I did!" Lisette called out quickly, her eyes smoldering with hate. 

"Oh, that's nice.." Elisa muttered, trying not to laugh at the events taking place. She had absolutely no idea as to what was going on! 

Shooting a weird glance up at his mother, the young man shook his head slowly. "Yes, but my sister, your daughter, Lisette..." 

"Lisette?" Elisa answered quickly, a smile lighting up her face as she turned quickly to Goliath and squeezed his arm. 

Returning Elisa's smile, Goliath looked down at the young man. "Ah yes, where is your.. sister?" 

"Back in the woods buried in a shallow grave!" Lisette cried out, her voice cracking with anger. 

"I'm sorry Mother, Father," the young man whispered, making his voice shake with pretend sadness and horror. "Sister.. sister was devoured before my eyes by the wolves! My sister is dead!" he cried out, never once raising his eyes to meet those of his mother. 

"Liar!" Lisette screamed, tears filling her invisible eyes. 

"What?!" Elisa asked, the color quickly leaving her face. Shaking her head, unable and unwilling to believe his words, Elisa quickly tried to search with her magic for her friend... and was unable. "Goliath, my magic is gone!" she whispered in shock. Horror stricken, she slowly shook her head, still not wanting to believe the man's words. "Oh no... oh God no!" she cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks as she looked over to Goliath. 

"There must be some mistake!" Goliath replied slowly, his face gone pale. 

"It is.. he's lying, Goliath!" Lisette cried out pitifully, the force gone from her words. 

"I'm sorry, Mother.. Father.. but I saw it with my own eyes..." 

"No... no!" Elisa whispered. 

"Elisa... Goliath..." Lisette whispered quietly, the silent tears streaking down her invisible cheeks. 

"And the kingdom, Father?" the young man asked quietly, finally raising his tear streaked face to meet Goliath's sad, sad eyes. 

"What about it?" Goliath asked, still absorbing the shattering news. 

Suspicion entering his eyes, the young prince looked up at Goliath. "Your kingdom, Father. Do you not remember? Mother promised the kingdom to Sister and I.. to whoever brought back her golden rose..." 

"You mean.. this rose?" Elisa whispered in horror as she looked at the golden rose held in her hand -- the rose that was the cause of the death of Lisette. 

Shaking his head, Goliath quickly drew Elisa's trembling body into his arms. He knew that from their recent adventure with Caleb, when it came to losing one of the clan, Elisa was more protective than ever. They had almost lost Lisette too many times during that little adventure, that to hear that they had lost her now was too much to bear. "Take it," Goliath murmured to the young man. "Just take it," he said as he buried his head in Elisa's dark hair and as the green mist encircled them once more. 

Groaning, Brooklyn slowly picked himself from the ground that he was so rudely dropped on when the mist had cleared a few seconds earlier. "Oh, that's going to leave a mark," he muttered as he rubbed his aching back. Climbing to his feet, Brooklyn found himself surrounded by a thicket of dense trees. "Great, now where am I?" he muttered as he looked around. "A forest, as if that wasn't obvious," he answered himself, a small smile appearing on his face as he realized that he was in fact talking with himself. 

Suddenly, a strange fact came known to him. "Hey, it's daylight!" Brooklyn gasped in amazement as he quickly turned his head up to the bright blue sky towering above him. Never before in his life had Brooklyn ever seen the sun, let alone such a bright blue sky -- only on TV, and that was nothing compared to the real thing. Sighing, Brooklyn shook his head slowly. "What in the world happened to me?" 

Turning, the young gargoyle was about to start pawing his way through the thick grouping of trees when a flash of white caught his eye. Looking down, Brooklyn quickly cleared the leaves and branches that obscured the object. "A bone," he mumbled thoughtfully as he picked up the object. Shaking his head, Brooklyn wondered what the big deal was. After all, it wasn't that uncommon to find a bone lying in the middle of the woods -- even if it was a rather large bone. Still, for some reason the bone seemed different.. odd and special in some way. Without knowing why, Brooklyn had a sudden impulse to carve the bone. 

As though lost in some sort of trance, Brooklyn reached down and withdrew a sharp knife from a pouch tied to his side. Sitting on the carpeted floor of the wood, he then proceeded to shape the bone with a skill and precision he never knew he had. 

"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick!" Lisette groaned from beside Brooklyn. After the incident in the throne room, she had found herself dropped back in the place of her murder. To her surprise, Brooklyn was there as well -- dressed in a really interesting shepherd's outfit, but there nonetheless. But, after repeated attempts, it quickly became obvious to her that Brooklyn was just as blind to her ghostly form as Goliath and Elisa had been. "Do you even want to know whose leg bone you're carving up there?" Lisette asked again, knowing that Brooklyn couldn't hear her anyway. Shaking her head, she watched as he finished the carving. 

"A flute," Brooklyn whispered as he looked in awe at his handy work. "Ah man, if only Lisette and the others could see this!" Brooklyn crowed as he admired the beautiful flute he had created. 

"I _am_ seeing it, and I am not impressed!" Lisette muttered as she slowly got up and began pacing behind her friend. Turning, she watched in amazement as Brooklyn slowly began lifting the instrument to his mouth. Gagging, Lisette stepped back a couple of paces. "Oh God, please don't tell me you're actually going to put that thing in your mouth! Do you know where that thing has been?" Lisette cried out in amazement. 

Suddenly, as Brooklyn's breath began filling the flute, Lisette felt herself open her mouth against her own volition. Unable to control her own vocal cords, the following words flew from her mouth:

Whistle, whistle shepherd,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It wasn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had found Mama's flower,  
I had won Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle shepherd,  
Whistle of your breath... 

Surprised, Lisette quickly clamped her mouth shut. "Why on Earth did I just say that?" 

Just as quickly Brooklyn brought the flute away from his lips as though burnt and looked around in amazement. "Lisette?" he asked, glancing around in confusion. The strange words spoken had come from Lisette's mouth.. he recognized her voice easily. But where was she? 

"Brooklyn, you heard me?!" Lisette cried out happily as she jumped forward and tried to hug him. To her dismay, she just passed right on through him. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn looked at the flute he held. "Well that was weird, I swear that I heard her voice." 

"You did, that was me!" Lisette yelled, wishing that he could just hear her again. 

Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn slowly lifted the flute to his lips once again and began to blow. Instantly, instead of the music that should have came, the same haunting words issued forth from the white flute. Gasping, Brooklyn drew the flute away again. "Lisette?" he asked in confusion. "Where are you?" Suddenly, tears stung at his eyes as her whispered words registered in his mind. "No," he whispered quietly. "No..." 

Shaking his head, Goliath looked about after the mist had cleared once again. In a matter of seconds, two things became very clear to him. First, he was no longer in the throne room but in some kind of forest -- in daylight! Second, Elisa was no where to be seen. As panic seized his heart, Goliath quickly turned around in circles. "Elisa!" he roared into the crowded wood, his voice echoing throughout the trees as birds took flight from the disturbance. 

"Goliath?!" 

Surprised, Goliath turned again and peered through the dense woods. "Brooklyn?" Goliath called out as he began pushing branches aside until he emerged into a bright clearing. 

"Goliath!" Lisette called out happily. Per usual, no one turned at the sound of her voice. 

"Goliath, boy am I glad to see you!" Brooklyn cried out, jumping to his feet as his leader came crashing through the trees. Quickly, Brooklyn brushed his tears aside as he clasped hands with Goliath. 

"There you are!" Goliath called out, a smile returning to his face. "Where have you been? Elisa and I have been worried!" 

"Right here! The green mist disappeared and voilà, here I am," Brooklyn explained, just glad to see a familiar face. "But where's Elisa now?" 

At his question, the frown once more returned to Goliath's face. "I'm not sure.. we were in the throne room when we were captured in the mist again.. when it cleared, she was gone," Goliath rumbled, his eyes reflecting his worry. 

"Throne room?" Brooklyn asked in confusion. "Goliath, what's going on here? Where are we?" 

Sighing, Goliath shook his head slowly. "I am not sure, Brooklyn. Earlier, Elisa mentioned something about Lisette's magic mixing with Alex's to create this mess..." 

Groaning, Lisette slapped an invisible hand against her invisible forehead. "What have I done?" she moaned as all the pieces finally fell into place. 

"Goliath, Lisette..." Brooklyn began quickly, his fear crashing back at the mention of her name. 

Closing his eyes as the pain came back full force, Goliath shook his head slowly. "We were told that she is.. she's dead," Goliath continued, his voice shaking as he looked down at his second with compassion. 

As a vise closed around Brooklyn's heart, he nodded slowly. "That was what I feared.." 

"How do you mean?" Goliath asked, confused as to how Brooklyn could possibly know of Lisette's fate. 

Sighing, Brooklyn shook his head slowly and tried to bite back his tears. "When I arrived here, I found this bone and then I sculpted it into a flute..." 

"Why?" Goliath asked in confusion as he stared down at the beautiful flute. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn laughed a harsh laugh. "Good question. I just had an overwhelming desire to do it," he explained quickly. "But it gets weirder.. when I played it, Lisette's voice spoke instead of music." 

"What?" Goliath asked quickly, doubts of his second's sanity clouding his mind. 

Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn pushed the bone carved flute into Goliath's hands. "Here, you try it." 

"But I can't play the flute.." Goliath began. 

"Neither can I, and I can't carve either, but look what I did," Brooklyn quickly countered. 

Sighing, Goliath slowly brought the flute up to his lips and blew slightly over the carved opening. Immediately, Lisette's voice issued forth from the small flute:

Whistle, whistle, Papa,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It isn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had won your kingdom,  
I had found Mama's flower,  
Whistle, whistle Papa,  
Whistle of your breath... 

Amazed, all in the circle looked at the flute. As they all regained their senses, all began talking at once as well. 

"Why am I saying those things and why can they hear me?" Lisette asked in amazement. 

"The words have changed!" Brooklyn gasped, a single tear entering his eye at his love's lonely words. 

"What magic is this?" Goliath asked, his eyes riveted upon the bone flute. "Brooklyn," Goliath continued when his second finally met his eyes, "we have to get this flute to Elisa!" 

"Why?" Brooklyn asked as a single tear trickled down his cheek. 

"I'm not sure, but I feel as though we must take this to her!" 

"But you don't even know where Elisa is or how to find her!" Brooklyn cried out, hardening his heart against the pain at the same time. 

Shaking his head slowly, Goliath looked at Brooklyn with wide eyes. "I do now. Follow me!" he ordered as he quickly scaled a tree and launched himself into the bright afternoon sky. Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn slowly looked around the deserted clearing before following. 

"Hey, wait for me!" Lisette cried out. 

Alighting lightly in the beautiful rose garden, Goliath quickly led the way into the interior where a single stone bench sat. "Elisa!" he called out quickly as he caught sight of his love. 

"Goliath?" Elisa cried out happily as she jumped up from the bench and ran into his embrace. "Where did you go? When the mist was gone, I found myself all alone in here!" Elisa cried out as she buried her tear streaked face in Goliath's shoulder. "My magic, for the first time in my very long life, was of no use to me here.. there was nothing I could do!" Elisa gasped. Never before had she felt more helpless than she did in the time that everyone was gone from her -- never. 

"Elisa!" Brooklyn called out happily as he rounded the last corner and saw his detective friend. 

"Brooklyn?" Elisa asked as she pulled away and ran over to the young gargoyle. Smiling, she hugged him tightly before turning back to Goliath. "You found Brooklyn!" 

Puffing from the energy it took to keep up with the gargoyles, Lisette quickly rounded the corner. "Yeah, thanks for asking, I'm here too.." she gasped, expecting and getting no response to her sarcastic greeting. Sighing, she slowly straightened and joined her friends. 

"Yes, but that's not important," Goliath broke in quickly as he pulled Elisa towards him. "Right now, I need you to play this flute." 

"What?" Elisa asked in confusion. "Are you guys alright?" she asked, obviously thinking that there was a screw or two missing between the two of them. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn quickly grabbed the flute from Goliath and pressed it into Elisa's hands. "Listen, I got the same response from Goliath already. You just need to trust us on this one... it has to do with Lisette.." 

"What?" Elisa asked again, this time a tinge of hope coloring her voice. 

"Just play the damn flute already!" Brooklyn suddenly growled out, all patience gone from him. 

"Whoa," Lisette murmured as she took in her love's glowing eyes. 

Elisa had much the same reaction as she quickly raised the flute to her lips and began to play:

Whistle, whistle, Mama,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It isn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had found your flower,  
I had won Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle Mama,  
Whistle of your breath... 

As though burnt, Elisa quickly dropped the flute to the ground. With wide eyes, she quickly looked up at the two gargoyles. "That was Lisette's voice!" 

"I know," Goliath replied grimly, "and I feel that it's time to go and pay a visit to our 'son.'" 

"Huh?" Brooklyn asked as he looked back and forth between Goliath and Elisa. "Did I miss something here?" 

Eyes lighting with green fire, Elisa nodded her head slowly and began leading them from the garden. "There was definitely something slimy with the prince," she agreed, ignoring Brooklyn's question. 

Smiling proudly, Lisette followed behind the group. "As Detective Bluestone would say, damn right!" 

Minutes later, the group finally piled into the throne room, now occupied with just one chair, the prince lounging within. Eyes glowing a bright white, Goliath strode purposely up to the throne and thrust the flute at the older Prince. "Play," he growled, his voice leaving no room for argument. 

Surprised at the abrupt intrusion into his privacy, the older Prince gazed around the room. "Father, Mother, why do you intrude upon my solitude.." 

"I said, **PLAY!**" Goliath roared as he literally forced the flute into the man's hands. 

Shocked, the Prince looked down at the ornately carved white flute and up to his father's glowing white eyes, over to his mother's glowing green eyes, and then at the stranger's glowing white eyes. Gulping, he slowly raised the flute to his lips as Lisette's ghost stepped forward, ready to perform as she knew she would. As his breath entered the long white bone, Lisette's soft words flew forth:

Whistle, whistle my brother,  
Whistle of your breath.  
Because it was you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
To have Mama's flower,  
To have Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle my brother,  
Whistle of your breath... 

As silence once more ruled the room, the gathered gargoyles and human stared at the aging Prince in shock. "You killed Lisette," Elisa breathed in horror and amazement as she stared into the murderer's wide, clear blue eyes. 

"It.. it was an accident," the Prince stammered, fear entering his heart. "The little wench wouldn't give me the rose..." 

"You murdered Lisette!" Brooklyn roared suddenly as he darted forward, trying his best to maul the man's eyes out. 

Moving quickly, Goliath quickly restrained his second. "Guards!" he bellowed. In an instant, the room was quickly crawling with the armed guards of the King. "Arrest the prince.. I want you to lock him away and throw away the key!" Goliath roared as he glared at the murderer. 

Nodding their heads, the guards quickly moved in and grabbed the Prince. As he was slowly led away, Brooklyn once more raised the flute to his lips and slowly breathed into it. Instead of the words that they were so accustomed to hearing, an enchanting and beautiful song instead poured forth. To all that listened, it was a song of joy and redemption. And as that song poured forth from the flute, a slow green mist lazily exited as well and covered the travelers. Soon, they all disappeared in a flash of light. 

Yawning sleepily, Brooklyn slowly lifted his hand to his eyes and tried to rub the sleep from them. As he did so, the memories of all that had transpired came crashing back. Jerking his head up, Brooklyn quickly looked around. To his relief, he instantly recognized the familiar walls of the nursery in the Castle. "We're back!" he yelled triumphantly as he looked around. Lying a little away towards the door was Goliath and Elisa, curled up in one another's arms. Very slowly, they opened their eyes and looked around. Smiling, Brooklyn quickly turned around and looked about him, his eyes searching for one other. "Lisette?" he called out quickly, his heart growing cold as he realized that she was no where to be seen. "Goliath, Elisa, where's Lisette?" he asked, his voice cracking as he met their sad eyes. 

Very slowly, Elisa untangled herself from Goliath and moved across the room to Brooklyn. "Brooklyn, I..." she began as tears slowly formed in her eyes. 

"But.. it was just a dream, right? She can't be dead.." Brooklyn protested weakly. 

"I don't know," Elisa whispered, shaking her head slowly. 

Suddenly, Brooklyn's sharp hearing detected a soft tapping. Turning, he quickly surveyed the room, his sight finally alighting on one of the windows on either side of Alexander's crib. Breaking into a run, Brooklyn crossed the room in seconds as he threw open the window. There stood Lisette on the small ledge, soaked to the bone in her long red gown, her hair plastered to her face, as the rain poured forth. "Gggg... get me inside," Lisette chattered in between blue lips. 

Unable to hold back the large grin that spread across his face, Brooklyn quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around Lisette. Ever so gently, he then lifted her through the narrow window and held her tightly in his warm embrace, soaking them both. Sighing, Lisette held him close and buried her head in his shoulder, just glad to be able to be held again. 

Smiling, Elisa side stepped the young couple and quickly pulled the window closed behind them before returning to Goliath's embrace. 

"Oh God, I thought I had lost you," Brooklyn murmured against her wet hair as he held her tighter, never wanting to let go. 

Smiling against her chattering teeth, Lisette brought her lips up to Brooklyn's ear and whispered one thing: Next time, let's stick to the conventional and avoid all back up plans. 

Laughing, Brooklyn contented himself to holding the one he loved tight against him -- vowing to never let her go again.

**THE END**

Now, here is the full translated version of "La Rose D'Or" for your reading pleasures! Thanks for reading!

**_The Golden Rose_**

"Long ago, in a time long past, there was a king and queen who had a handsome son and a young, beautiful daughter. The queen, beautiful as well, was in the habit of always taking long walks in the nearby woods, always carrying a golden rose in hand. One day, when she returned from an exceptionally long walk through those woods, she realized that she had lost her rose somewhere during the course of her walking. So, the queen went to see her beautiful children, and to them she said:

You both must return to the woods that I traveled  
and search for my golden rose. Whoever returns my  
rose to me will have your father's kingdom. 

With such a reward, the two children left together to search for the rose. After some time, they arrived in the forest where their mother had walked earlier. There, the two searched and searched for their mother's lost rose. After having searched well, the young girl finally found the golden rose. Rising quickly, she called out to her big brother and told him:

My brother, I have found Mama's rose. 

But her brother said:

Give it to me. It's me who will bring it to her. 

The young girl replied:

No. It's me who found it, I will hold it. 

In a fit of anger, the brother grabbed her by the throat and during the struggle he strangled her without meaning to. When he saw that she was dead, he went into a panic. He dug a big hole, put his sister's body inside, covered it with branches, and then he picked up the rose and returned to his house. When he reached it, he frowned thoughtfully and said:

What will I tell my parents when I return without  
my sister? Ah! I know, I will tell them that the  
wolves have eaten her. 

And he returned to his parents' castle and gave the golden rose to his mother. When she asked him where was his sister, he started to cry and said that a wolf had devoured her before him. His parents were filled with pain, but they did as promised and gave him the kingdom. They searched hard for their daughter, but they never found her. Neither the poor king or the poor queen was able to get over the death of their young daughter, and the castle became a place of sadness where laughter was no longer heard. 

Ten years later, a little shepherd who was passing in the forest found a straight bone, long, thin and white at the foot of a tree. He said that it would make a good flute, and so he took it. After he had sculpted it, he put it to his breath. But what surprise when, instead of music, there came words! And here is what the voice said:

Whistle, whistle shepherd,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It wasn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had found Mama's flower,  
I had won Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle shepherd,  
Whistle of your breath... 

The shepherd was really amazed, and he never heard anything else but those words come forth from the sculpted flute. One day, the king had gone walking in the forest and he came face to face with the young shepherd. 

"You have a beautiful flute shepherd. Will you let me play it?" 

"Of course, sire. Maybe you can get more out of it than just words. Me, I can't." 

The king took the flute, whistled within, and was even more surprised than the shepherd to hear the flute sing:

Whistle, whistle, Papa,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It isn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had won your kingdom,  
I had found Mama's flower,  
Whistle, whistle Papa,  
Whistle of your breath... 

And so the king returned right away to the castle, with the flute of course, and went to the Queen's room. It was there also that she played the flute. And there they heard:

Whistle, whistle, Mama,  
Whistle of your breath.  
It isn't you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
I had found your flower,  
I had won Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle Mama,  
Whistle of your breath... 

After, with a heart full of horror, the king went to his son and ordered him to blow on the flute. Without knowing why, the son didn't want to play it. Finally, with much distrust, he took the flute and started to blow. And naturally, here the flute sang really loud:

Whistle, whistle my brother,  
Whistle of your breath.  
Because it was you who killed me  
In the forest of Ardenne.  
To have Mama's flower,  
To have Papa's kingdom,  
Whistle, whistle my brother,  
Whistle of your breath... 

And so the king and the queen arrested their son and condemned him to burn alive. And during his agony, the shepherd played the flute. But this time, instead of the words that usually left the flute, magnificent music was heard, like a sign of pardon and joy. After, the king and the queen went to the place where the shepherd had found the bone and, when they returned it to the body, the young girl rose and lived again, and it's to her that they gave the kingdom. The end." 

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	9. Familiarity

Familiarity

**"Familiarity"**  
by Lisette: [Lisette_1@lycos.com][1]

Created on: 05/18/99

Revised on: 08/20/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. The characters of Talika and Lisette, on the other hand, are of the others creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the seventh part of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: Can adversary bring two strangers closer together? 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

**_Familiarity_**

Castle Wyvern, Library 

Sighing softly, Elisa leaned back against the hard planes of Goliath's chest as the soft flames of the fire flicked before her eyes. "You know Big Guy, we should really do this more often," she whispered quietly, smiling softly at his warmth, nodding her head as the soft notes of Johann Pachelbel's '_Canon in D_' floated out around them. 

Nodding at her words, Goliath slowly tipped his head forward and kissed her raven locks softly before brushing his lips against her ear, all the while breathing in the scents that belonged only to her -- the scent of sunshine on a warm spring day mixed in with something exotic. "I agree, my love," he replied, his voice warm. Sighing, he pulled Elisa tighter against him and just thanked the heavens above that he had her there to hold. While it was true that he wasn't conscious and able to witness the majority of the events that took place with Caleb, he had heard plenty about what had happened to realize how close he had come to losing her. How it was possible to think that he could lose someone that he just recently discovered was immortal was something that his mind was still trying to deal with. Still, the events were enough to make both he and Elisa realize that not a second should be taken for granted between them both. So, ever since he had awakened a few short hours ago the two had spent the evening snuggling next to each other on a soft Persian carpet that sat before a large roaring fire in the library. Feeling content to just be with each other and talk -- just like old times. 

"What are you thinking of?" Elisa asked quietly, noting Goliath's thoughtful silence as a piece of wood popped in the flames before them. 

Sighing, Goliath squeezed her gently in his arms, ever aware of the tender spot where she had been stabbed a few months before. "Just of how close I came to losing you... again," Goliath said, his voice wry at the irony of how often they both had to deal with that predicament. 

Smiling, Elisa leaned further into his arms and rested her hands on top of his over the healing wound, her feet spread out before her. "But you didn't lose me, and that's all that matters." 

"I know," Goliath replied, his expression thoughtful. "And for that we have our new friend to thank." 

"That we do," Elisa replied, her thoughts wandering to the young woman who had captured all of their hearts. Her words to the young mage those few months ago had come from her heart -- the girl was priceless and a wonderful addition to their clan. Plus, their short fiasco a few weeks before also managed to prove to the clan that life would never be simple with so many magic users around... especially a French mage with too much of a memory when it came to French fairy tales. Suddenly, a strange thought occurred to her. "Goliath," she asked slowly as she pulled away and turned till she was looking up into her love's dark eyes, "when is the last time that you've spoken with Lisette?" 

Slightly surprised, Goliath looked down into Elisa's beautiful brown eyes. "Why, this evening when we awoke I spoke to her before she and Brooklyn left..." 

"No, I mean **REALLY** spoke to her." 

"Well..." Goliath trailed off, trying to remember a specific instance. But the more he thought, the quicker Goliath realized that he had **NEVER** really sat down and talked to the young woman. While the rest of the clan had become quickly acquainted with her -- Angela and Lisette almost to the point of being inseparable -- he had never taken the initiative. 

"That's what I thought," Elisa said quietly, a playful smile on her face. "Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to take the time one of these nights to get to know her," Elisa said gently as she turned back towards the fire, leaning her head back on Goliath's shoulder. 

Sighing, Goliath mulled over Elisa's words quietly. "I suppose that I shall," he said quietly as he leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek against her smooth hair. After all, what good was a leader if he didn't know his clan? 

Suddenly, a loud and irritating beeping nose broke the tranquil mood of the library. Surprised, Elisa quickly pulled away from her love and took a small black box from her belt. Holding it up to the light, she muttered something quietly under her breath as she climbed to her feet. 

"What is it, Elisa?" Goliath asked, confusion and disappointment entering his voice as he too climbed to his feet. 

Sighing, Elisa headed over towards a small table sitting beside the door to the library. "The captain is paging me," she said quietly over her shoulder as she scooped up the telephone and dialed a number quickly. 

His disappointment deepening, Goliath stepped quietly to Elisa's side and slid his arms around her small waist as he listened to her side of the conversation. 

"Yeah, Captain, this is Maza," Elisa said quietly, her tone masking her irritation at being disturbed on her night off. "Uh huh.." Elisa murmured, her posture turning rigid as she listened to her boss. 

Instantly alert, Goliath slowly stepped away from his love and walked round till he was gazing into her tense eyes. 

"Okay, hold on a sec," Elisa murmured as she quickly pulled open a drawer on the desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Almost immediately, she began to scrawl notes on the paper in her soft, slanting pen. "Got it," she replied quickly, breaking the silence as she put down her pen. "I'm on my way," she said as she broke off the conversation and replaced the phone on the cradle. 

"What is wrong?" Goliath asked, concern coloring his voice as Elisa spun on her heel and rushed to the couch. 

"There's a hostage situation on the other side of town," Elisa murmured quickly as she picked up her holster from where she had deposited it on the couch earlier. While strapping it on, she turned and gave a sympathetic smile to Goliath. "Chavez said that Matt's already on the scene and that she needs me there.. now." 

Sighing, Goliath tried to hide his disappointment as he reached down and picked up her familiar red bomber jacket. Fingering the soft material, he turned and pressed it into Elisa's waiting hands. "Then I suppose that you should be going," he said simply, an understanding smile gracing his lips. "Where at? I shall join you..." 

At this, Elisa quickly shook her head as she shouldered her way into her jacket. "Not necessary, Goliath," Elisa answered quickly as she stepped forward and placed her finger over his lips. "This thing shouldn't have to ruin both of our nights off," she whispered, a small smile on her lips. "Besides, if I need backup, I can call Brooklyn and the others." 

Shaking his head, Goliath drew Elisa into his arms and held her close to him. "Be careful, my love," he said quietly, breathing in her scent once again. 

Smiling against Goliath's lavender skin, Elisa felt her feet slowly touch the ground once again as Goliath released her from his grip. "Aren't I always?" she asked with her traditional smirk. 

Laughing softly, Goliath rubbed the back of his hand gently across her cheek. "If you need any assistance, remember that Brooklyn and Lexington are patrolling together in a team as are Broadway and Angela. They should all be somewhere out in the city." 

Nodding her head, Elisa smiled her thanks as she quickly headed towards the door. "I'll try to stop by before sunrise!" she cried out over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner. 

Sighing, Goliath let the smile drop from his face the minute that she was gone. "And another evening together is squelched by our responsibilities and our duties," he muttered quietly as he turned back towards the roaring fire. No longer in the mood for the soft strains of the Pachelbel Canon, Goliath gently pushed the stop button on the small remote with his sharp talon as he regained his spot on the soft carpeting. Instantly, the hidden speakers throughout the room burst into silence. Sighing in the rush of quiet, Goliath slowly reached to his side and withdrew a book that had been sitting beside him. "_'Dark Rivers of the Heart, by Dean Koontz'_ screamed at him from the cover. Smiling, he couldn't help but think that at least he'd get to continue with his reading. Stretching out, he then leaned back against the couch and flipped open the novel, enjoying the crisp sound of the new pages. A moment later and he was lost in the dark world of Spencer Grant. 

A few hours later 

Humming quietly to herself, Lisette held the book before her, savoring the every word of Dean Koontz as she walked the dark and twisting hallways of the castle. It had been a quiet night, what with the majority of the clan out patrolling the city. And despite the fact that she had been left alone to her pursuits, she still found the night off a relaxing thought. She'd even had time to work out in the gym with Fox and David, have a short lesson with the Puck and Alex, and take in a television program with Hudson later on. Still, she always found herself wandering back to the written word -- it was that which had her so fascinated. Smiling softly, Lisette realized that her passion was slowly spreading to Brooklyn, who now joined her often in the library, a good book held in hand. So, with the thought of Dean Koontz's new novel in mind, she had hurried away from the noisy television room to her own where the book lay waiting on her bed stand. Grinning softly, she had then delved into its dark depths while she walked the distance to the library -- her favorite reading spot. 

Chuckling softly to herself at a particularly funny part in the novel, Lisette reached out a hand mechanically and opened the large door to the library. Without taking her eyes off of the worded pages, she slowly entered the bright room and closed the door behind her. Shaking her head, amazed at the troubles that the main character was finding himself in, she continued further into the room, intent on starting a fire to warm the large room -- when she realized that there was a fire already roaring in the pit of the fireplace. Surprised, she finally tore her eyes away from the novel and glanced about the room -- and locked eyes with Goliath. 

"Goliath!" Lisette called out quickly -- a little too quickly. What are you doing here?" she asked. 

"I was reading," he replied quietly, his eyes as somber as always as he took in the young woman. Per usual, she was dressed in a flowing gown that was from his own time -- tonight, it was pale blue in color with long sleeves and a form fitting bodice that spread out from her small waist. What was unusual was the fact that her confident smile now showed a bit of hesitation and uneasiness. Noting this, Goliath slowly lowered his book to his lap and took in the young woman. 

"Of course, I am sorry," Lisette replied quickly, kicking herself mentally as Goliath gave the obvious answer. "Um.." she said quietly as her eyes strayed across the room, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two. Suddenly, her eyes lit upon the book that Goliath held loosely by his side. "What are you reading?" she asked quickly, her soft French accent making easy work of the words. 

Relieved at having the uncomfortable silence broken, Goliath quickly held up his book and displayed it to the young woman. "It is called _'Dark Rivers of the Heart'_, by..." 

"Dean Koontz," Lisette answered quickly for him, a soft smile playing across her lips. At Goliath's questioning glance, she quickly held up her own book. "I have read his books before -- he is.. quite good," she said quietly. 

Nodding his head, Goliath looked at her own novel. "Yes, he is at that. Although, I have yet to read the novel you are working on." 

"Well, so far it is very good," Lisette murmured, her voice trailing off as her eyes dropped back down to the book in her hand. Shaking her head, she felt the uncomfortable silence build once more in the room. "Well, excuse me then," she said quietly as she turned to leave the room, unsure as to what else to say to her leader. 

Suddenly, Elisa's words from earlier flashed through Goliath's mind. Knowing that there was no time better for getting to know the newest addition to the clan, Goliath quickly cleared his throat. "Wait," he called out quickly as he slowly got to his feet, setting the novel aside. "Please, stay," Goliath instructed as he watched the hesitation flicker across her face. Perhaps he wasn't the only one who noticed that they had never really spoken. 

Nodding her head slowly, Lisette backed away from the door and stepped further into the room, her book held by her side as she met Goliath's dark eyes. 

Nodding slowly, Goliath racked his brain for something to say. Once more, a tense silence had fallen over the room -- the silence that came only from two strangers trying to make conversation. Silently he cursed himself. Lisette was staying because he had asked her to and now he didn't know what to do with her. "Well," he finally said as he cleared his throat and met her light blue eyes, "why.. why do you wear gowns? What happened to the jeans and tee-shirts that you used to wear?" he asked, grasping on the first subject that came to mind. 

Smiling softly, Lisette glanced down at her powder blue dress and smoothed the fabric softly with her hand. Looking up, she met Goliath's gaze and shrugged her shoulders delicately. "Why do you wear a loin cloth from the 10th century? Why do you not wear modern garments?" she asked, her voice musical as her smile broadened. 

Nodding quickly, Goliath felt a small smile lift the corners of his lips. "Because that is what I am accustomed to," he replied, finally understanding. 

Smiling, Lisette nodded her head quickly. "As am I." 

Before Goliath could comment further, both were spared from another uncomfortable silence as the doors to the library burst open. Surprised, Goliath turned quickly and watched as Lexington stumbled a little ways into the room before collapsing to the floor. "Lexington!" Goliath cried out quickly as he rushed over to the smaller gargoyle and turned him over slowly. As his eyes focused on a smear of red over the small green gargoyle's shoulder, he felt his eyes blaze white in anger. "What happened?!" he roared, watching as his young friend fought to stay awake. 

"I was.. patrolling in the warehouse district," Lexington said slowly, his face twisting up in pain as the wound in his shoulder trickled out red blood. "I saw movement by the waterfront.. but when I went to take a closer look I was ambushed," he said, wincing as another flare of pain washed through his shoulder. 

"Why did you not call on your communicator for help?" Lisette asked quickly, her face filled with concern as she knelt on the other side of the small gargoyle, her hands gently touching his face. 

"It.. it was destroyed," Lex moaned, fighting against the sea of darkness that threatened to overtake him. 

"Where is Brooklyn?" Goliath interrupted quickly, his mind focusing on the fact that his second was no where to be seen. "You two were assigned to patrol together!" he growled, trying to contain his worry and anger. 

"It's not his fault," Lex gasped quickly, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "He went over to help Elisa, Broadway, and Angela with the hostage situation.. on the other side of the city.. I was supposed to head over there next..." 

Nodding curtly, Goliath gently squeezed Lexington's good shoulder before turning to Lisette. "I know that tonight was supposed to be your night off," he began slowly as he looked into her somber eyes. 

"Say no more, Goliath," Lisette said, cutting the leader off as she turned to look into Lexington's pale face. "Lex, I know that it hurts but we need your help," she said quietly, her voice calm and reassuring. "Can you tell me exactly where the warehouse was?" 

Biting back his pain, Lexington looked into Lisette's deep blue eyes and nodded slowly. "It was right on the docks... an older wooden warehouse that looks abandoned... there's a warehouse on each side, both steel and a little ways away." 

Nodding, Lisette gently touched the young gargoyle's cheek. "Thank you, Lex," she whispered. Quickly, she climbed to her feet and indicated for Goliath to do the same. Then, closing her eyes firmly, she slowly gathered her magic to her, whispering a short spell. Seconds later, Lex disappeared in a flash of green light. 

"Where..." Goliath began to ask, confusion clouding his features. 

"I sent Lex and Owen to the infirmary," Lisette quickly explained, knowing Goliath's question. Then, without saying further she quickly murmured her spell of transformation and a moment later she stood in her gargoyle form. Shaking her head to clear the mists of magic, she then moved to stand beside Goliath. "Are you ready?" she asked, her voice soft as she stared up into Goliath's dark and stormy eyes. 

"Let us find who did this to Lexington," Goliath said slowly, his voice cold and hard. 

Nodding her head, Lisette raised her arms above her and smoothed her hands against each other. While conjuring her magics to her once again, she then cast a quick spell that enveloped them both in green light, causing the library to disappear from around them. 

A moment later, the shelves of books to be found in the warm library were replaced by a bitter wind that rolled off of the sea. Turning around, Goliath took in the dark moonlight that glittered off of the equally dark bay. Even though it was only the beginning of fall, already the briskness of winter could be felt in the dark nights. Shrugging, he turned and surveyed the empty and desolate warehouses that surrounded them. Instantly, his eyes lit upon a dark warehouse made of wood, seemingly deserted and abandoned. With narrowed eyes, he quickly surveyed the building and saw no sign of the fight that Lexington had mentioned or of the movement that had first warranted his investigation. 

"Goliath, it looks as though our enemies have already departed," Lisette said quietly as she, too, surveyed the darkened warehouse. 

"So it seems," Goliath murmured as he took in the equally dark and quiet night. "Still, we shall look further. I will enter from the front and you shall take the back," he continued, his bass voice low in the dark night as he glanced at his companion for confirmation. 

Nodding her head in answer, Lisette quickly turned away from the large lavender leader and lifted her wings. Instantly, the brisk wind off of the water filled their depths and lifted her into the dark night sky. For a second, she wished that she wore something dark to mask her in the night sky instead of her white loin cloth and halter, but almost instantly her thoughts turned to that of the matter at hand. And with a grace that could only be found in gargoyles who were trained and accustomed to such modes of transportation, she gently alighted upon the dirty pavement to be found behind the large warehouse. Ever careful and remembering her training from that of the past and the present, Lisette slowly glanced around the dark area. From all appearances, it seemed to be the same as to be found anywhere -- just a grimy area with bad lighting, warehouses made of steel and other metals on all sides. If anything, the only difference would be the apparent sign of misuse and the distance to be found between the warehouses. 

Shrugging her shoulders gently, Lisette turned away from all of this and crept up to the single door that was to be found at the back of the rather large warehouse. Not surprising, it was but a single door made out of wood that was attached to the wooden structure. What _was_ surprising was the fact that the door was unlocked. Instantly, her suspicions about the building multiplied, for even if it were abandoned, the door would still be locked tightly. Shrugging away the tendrils of fear that snaked around her spine, Lisette slowly opened the door with her taloned hand and stepped into the dark interior of the building. At first, all she saw was darkness as her eyes slowly adjusted from the bright moonlight outside of the building. Finally, a few seconds later the fog passed from her vision and she beheld the view before her. 

"It's empty," Lisette murmured softly as she turned and closed the door behind her. And it was true. For the entire warehouse, which was about a quarter the size of a football field and two stories tall stood completely empty, with a bank of dirty windows lining the top floor. Shaking her head in confusion, Lisette stepped further into the building and glanced up at the towering rafters above. Suddenly, a soft noise fell to her ears. Alert, she turned quickly and watched as another swath of light filled the room as a door directly across from her opened. 

Easily recognizing Goliath's tall frame, Lisette quickly started across the cavernous room till she and the large leader met halfway through the building. "There is no one here," Lisette said softly, her voice betraying her suspicions, "yet the door was unlocked." 

"Mine as well," Goliath replied quietly as he looked around the large room. "Are you sure that this is the place that Lexington was referring to?" he asked, his voice betraying his doubt. 

Shrugging her bare shoulders, Lisette glanced around the room once again. "This is the only warehouse that I have ever seen that is composed of wood and fits Lexington's description so," she replied quietly, her eyes glancing around the deserted structure. "But why anyone would be breaking into here is beyond me." 

Sighing, Goliath quickly nodded his agreement. As Lisette changed back into her human form, Goliath slowly walked away and pondered the situation, his taloned feet clicking off of the old, groaning wood floor beneath them. "Why would anyone contain anything worth stealing in here?" he puzzled aloud. 

"No person of their right mind would," Lisette replied as she moved towards Goliath. Suddenly, a small object a few feet away caught her eye. "Goliath, what is that?" she asked quietly, surprised that she had missed it before upon her first inspection. After all, with the warehouse being devoid of all objects, it was pretty surprising that they had skipped over the only object that the building contained. 

Instantly alert, Goliath turned quickly and began walking towards the indicated location. As he drew closer, Goliath could see that the object was in fact a very small box sitting on the wooden floor.. a small box that had red numbers proudly displayed on the cover... numbers that were quickly counting down from five. As realization hit, Goliath quickly turned on his heel and thundered towards Lisette. "It's a bomb!" he roared, his eyes blazing white as he grabbed the young woman by the arm and began dragging her across the floor. And just as his foot touched down on the wooden floor and as the number hit one, the floor beneath Goliath and Lisette gave out with a loud crack. 

As gargoyle and mage fell through the splintered wood, the bomb beeped loudly and then exploded in a wave of fire and heat. Instantaneously, similar bombs that were attached at strategic locations around the building exploded as well, causing the walls and roof of the building to collapse in on each other. And just as the shock wave and flames reached the spot that Goliath and Lisette had just occupied, both disappeared into the floor below. Crying out, both plummeted down quickly, not through just one, but two floors as the wood and plaster followed them down through the basement and sub-basement, their fall only being broken by the hard stone floor below. And as the roar of the explosion pushed through the quiet night, breaking its silence, a single scream and roar joined the cacophony... and then the silence returned. Silence that surrounded a devastated building. 

NYPD 23rd Precinct 

Startled from her work, Chavez quickly began shoving the paperwork aside, rushed by the shrill ringing of her telephone. Finally, a few rings later, the blasted device was uncovered at the bottom of the unruly pile. Snatching up the handset, she quickly brought the device to her lips. "Chavez," she ground out, not pleased at being interrupted. 

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Captain," a pleasant female voice broke in from the other line, "but I've just received a call about an explosion in the warehouse district." 

Sighing quietly, Captain Maria Chavez finally placed the familiar voice as belonging to one of the police dispatchers. "What's the emergency level?" she asked quickly, her voice betraying the hectic night that she was living. 

"If you'll hold for a sec, Captain, I can patch you through to the caller," the woman replied. 

Instantly curious, Chavez sat straighter in her seat. This was definitely unusual protocol for a crime being committed. "Go ahead," she said as she withdrew a pad of paper from the mess on her desk. A few clicks later Chavez heard two male voices conferring in the background. From the static that accompanied the voices, she quickly concluded that the caller was on a cell phone. "Hello?" she asked quickly. 

"Hello, Captain Chavez?" an older male's voice asked quickly, echoing from the cell phone. 

"This is," Chavez confirmed as she switched the phone to her other ear. "And who am I talking with?" 

"This is Frank Johnson," the man replied, slipping into an easy drawl. "I'm a security guard over at the Xanatos warehouses. I was just calling because there was an explosion at one of the warehouses," he stated, a certain calmness in his voice. 

Slightly surprised at this, Chavez felt her eyebrow raise. After all, most people didn't sound so at ease when one of their warehouses they were supposed to be guarding had been destroyed. "Well, what happened?" she asked, her voice a bit impatient. 

"I dunno," the man said quickly. "It just up and blew up -- but not to worry," he replied, as if reading Chavez's mind. "The building was old and abandoned and there's not a fire. You see, it collapsed on itself and snuffed its own fire out," he explained. 

Nodding her head, Chavez finally understood why the man was so calm as she breathed in relief. 

"Sure don't know why anyone would bother going to the trouble of blowing up that old buildin' anyway..." 

"So there are no injuries?" she asked quickly, getting right to the point. 

"No, ma'am," the guard quickly replied. "It's just me and Hank here tonight, so it's a real low priority level..." 

Sighing once more in relief, Chavez quickly put her pen down. "That's good.. the city is so crazy tonight..." 

"I know what you mean, Captain," the man said quickly, conveying his understanding and sympathy over the phone. "Hank and I have been listening to the scanner tonight, and that's why I asked to speak with you instead of putting it through the normal channels." 

"Thank you Mr.. Johnson," she said quickly as she glanced down at his scrawled name. "I'll send someone out as soon as.." 

"Ah, shucks no," the man interrupted quickly. Oddly enough, Chavez felt as though she could hear his smile through the telephone. "There weren't nobody over by the warehouse and it's not going anywhere. Just take your time and send someone out when they're free." 

Smiling, Chavez curtly nodded her head. "We'll have someone out there then as soon as we can spare them." 

Meanwhile... 

Muttering under her breath, Elisa hunkered lower down by the shiny red paint of her car door, breathing in the tarry fumes of the road beneath. "Of all the nights," she muttered quietly as the roar of gunfire broke the air around them. Suddenly, she heard a distinct ping of a bullet striking off of the opposite side of her car. Groaning, she quickly closed her eyes and tightened her hold on the cool and sleek grip of her gun. 

Suddenly, silence once more reigned through the night. Ever cautious, Elisa slowly lifted her crouch higher till she was staring through her driver's side window, through the car, and out the other side at the house beyond. It was relatively small, run down, with the sickly white paint peeling off of the siding in large strips, crowded close on the sides by houses of similar repair. Sighing, she swiveled her head slowly and took in the multitude of cops and cop cars that made up a barricade around the house, the houses beside it covered in darkness, the residents having been evacuated once the shooting began. "Who would've thought that a simple battery call could turn out like this?" Elisa asked, her voice filled with sarcasm as she turned her dark eyes to her partner, who was squatting opposite of her, his gun clutched firmly in one hand, a bullhorn in the other. 

"Yeah, well just be glad that no one's been hurt.. yet," Matt replied, his voice betraying his worry that the night wasn't going to have a happy ending. 

Suddenly, a different voice rang out through the night. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again!" a man's shrill voice screamed out from the decrepit house. "I have a gun trained on that bitch and her brats, and I **WILL KILL THEM** if you pigs don't back the hell off!" 

Groaning, Elisa ducked lower behind her car as the man once more began to fire wildly at the string of police cars that lined his house. "Idiot," she muttered as she reached a hand up and gently touched the small microphone that was clipped to her jacket lapel. "Hey guys, I need for you to stay back for awhile," she whispered quietly, just loud enough for her voice to carry through the receiver and for Matt's ears to hear. 

"Elisa, what's going on?" Brooklyn's worried voice broke through, crackling slightly. 

"Some idiot is holding his wife and two little kids hostage..." 

"Who would do such a thing?!" Angela's voice broke in quickly, worry and horror evident in her voice. 

"A psychopath," Elisa replied simply, shaking her head at the situation. "Dispatch got a call from a neighbor earlier this evening about a fight going on next door. When the patrolmen showed up to check it out, the guy started firing on them," Elisa explained quickly, ducking even lower as a bullet whizzed over the top of her red baby car. 

"Are you sure you don't want us to go in and clean this guy up?" Broadway asked quickly, the excitement evident in his voice. 

Smiling, Elisa quickly shook her head. "No, it's not safe for you **OR** the hostages right now," she whispered back as Matt quickly lifted the bullhorn to his lips once again in an attempt to calm the man down. 

Sighing, Elisa ducked back, hugging the ground once again as she ignored the crackle of her police radio from within her car. "An explosion at 12216 W Thornton Street in the warehouse district..." the woman's voice crackled. "Lowest priority... please call in when available." She had more pressing matters to worry about. 

Abandoned warehouse 

As the plaster and dust filled his lungs, Goliath felt a wracking cough constrict his chest. Groaning, he felt his eyes flutter open, only to be greeted by darkness, as an oppressing weight built above him. _What happened?_ Goliath asked himself as he slowly pushed up at the mass of rubble, plaster, and brick that covered him till the pile fell to the ground beside him, sending up yet another wave of powder that clogged his nose and throat. Gagging, he slowly and unsteadily climbed to his feet in the darkness as memories of the bomb filtered through his hazy mind. Suddenly, a flair of pain in his shoulder made everything come clear in his head. Gasping slightly, he slowly reached up and massaged his left shoulder. Instantly, he knew that it was dislocated as a sticky wetness covered his powdered hand. Blood. Groaning, he was about to start muttering about his luck when a soft moan sounded in the darkness around him. 

Instantly alert, Goliath quickly turned in the direction that the sound came from. "Lisette?" he called out, dismayed by his weak voice and by the fit of coughing that quickly consumed him. Suddenly, a loud rumble filled the area around him till it was resounding off of the invisible walls. Cringing, Goliath dropped down to the hard cement floor as whatever lay above him shifted, sending more debris crashing down and more of the airway clogging particles up around him. And then, the darkness was broken as a single board fell, revealing a small opening that let in the bright moonlight from up above. 

Blinking at the sudden onrush of light, Goliath squinted quickly and rubbed the dust from his eyes. Then, very slowly he lifted his head and surveyed the room around him. Actually, it wasn't even a room but more of a small enclosure, about ten by twenty feet with piles of rubble on the ground. Dismayed, he then saw that the walls of the room were actually just piles of intricately weaved debris, which was also what constructed the roof above them -- it was just a structured mess of rubble that was weaved together to make a covering above him. 

Suddenly, the soft coughing filled the room once again, followed quickly by a pain-filled moan. Spurred into action, Goliath painfully climbed to his feet and surveyed the wreckage more closely. Turning, he barely made out movement on the far side of the structure in the weak lighting. Worry filling him, he quickly stumbled through the mess till he stood before the small form. "Lisette?" Goliath asked quietly as he knelt down beside her. 

The young woman was lying on her back on the cement floor, with just her pale face and bits of her ripped and dirty blue dress showing beneath a large pile of rubble. "Lisette?" he asked again, concern coloring his voice. 

Suddenly, her eye lids fluttered open, revealing her pain filled blue eyes beneath. "Goliath?" she murmured quietly, gasping as another wave of pain flared from within. "Oh, that hurts," she moaned, closing her eyes against the pain. "Get 'em off," she begged, her voice weak as she opened her eyes and looked into Goliath's dark ones. 

Nodding quickly, Goliath stood back up and moved to her side. Very gently, he quickly began clearing away the bricks, wood, and other debris that lay littered over the young woman, all the while wincing at her grimace of pain. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he murmured quietly as he worked. Soon, only a large plank remained, which he heaved off, frowning as Lisette screamed out in pain. Shaking his head, he quickly reached down and gently began moving her when another scream of pain stopped him in his tracks. Biting his lip, Goliath quickly stood back and watched in concern as Lisette weakly reached up and gently laid her hand upon her stomach. Turning, he met her pain glazed eyes. "I will get us out of here," he said, his tone firm as he turned away and hurried towards the shaft of light. 

Upon reaching the light, his frown deepened even more. Turning, he arched his back and looked up through the hole, which was no larger than Cagney, Elisa's cat. Through there, he was able to see a tunnel of rubble that stretched up two stories. Instantly, what happened became clear to him -- as well as how bad their situation really was. Groaning as his shoulder flared in pain, Goliath couldn't help but wish that Elisa had reestablished the link between them both, therefore establishing his immortality and hopefully improving their current situation somewhat. Sighing, he turned away and walked slowly back to Lisette's side. Surprised, he saw that she was now sitting up as best as she could, reclined against a slab of concrete with her hand still lying delicately on her stomach. 

"Not going to work?" she asked quietly, her voice soft and weak as she smiled softly, meeting his somber eyes. 

"No... it seems as though we fell through the main floor and down through two basements to this level," Goliath explained quietly. "The only thing above us is a mass of wreckage that is.. very unstable," he continued, recounting what he was able to surmise just from his glimpse through the hole. 

"And the light?" Lisette asked, hope in her voice. 

Quickly, Goliath shook his head as he turned and regarded the thin shaft of moonlight. "If I try to move it, then we would be crushed beneath the rubble," Goliath said quietly, his eyes returning to Lisette's. 

Sighing, Lisette nodded slowly. "I.. was afraid that you were going to say that," Lisette said quietly, flashing him a weak smile. 

"Can.. can you use your magic to get us out of here?" Goliath asked slowly, unsure of his request. Even though there was no blood evident on the young mage besides from a wound on her shoulder, he knew that she was hurt bad and severely needed some medical attention. With all of the weight that was piled upon her after the long and hard fall in a human body, she was no doubt hurt badly. Definitely not a good thing. 

Groaning at a wave of pain that flared from inside her stomach, Lisette closed her eyes and scrunched her face as she waited for the pain to subside. Her whole chest and stomach ached like nothing before.. and when mixed with the dark matter that was still running through her veins, weakening her already battered body, Lisette too, knew that she needed help, and fast. "I.. I will try," Lisette whispered as the pain subsided and she once more met Goliath's dark eyes. Screwing her face up in concentration, Lisette gathered her magic towards her as she focused on the image of the library in her mind's eye. 

Suddenly, Goliath watched as Lisette's face drained completely of color, now a pasty white. Almost at the same instant, a soft, weak green field of energy began to build around them. Even though the magic was there, Goliath could see how weak it was by the light coloring. Suddenly, the green field disappeared as Lisette's moan of pain once more filled their enclosure as she slumped back against the slab, her eyes fluttering shut. "Lisette?" Goliath asked quickly, concern crossing his face as he gently took her soft hand in his and squeezed it gently. 

Very slowly, Lisette's eyes fluttered open once again. "I'm sorry, Goliath," she whispered quietly, her voice even weaker. "I.. I am just too weak," she murmured, her eyes filled with sorrow and defeat. 

Shaking his head quickly, Goliath forced a large smile on his face as he tried his best to look reassuring. "Do not worry, Lisette," he said quietly, his voice strong despite his own pain. "Lexington knows where we are and he will send the others to help us." 

Aerie building 

As the hard soles of his shoes tapped on the stone floor, Xanatos threw open the infirmary door and stepped into the large, spotless white room. "Owen, what's going on?" he asked as he quickly stepped up beside the bed where Lexington lay unconscious. 

Shrugging his shoulders in a very Owen-like manner, the manservant continued treating the young gargoyle's shoulder wound. "I cannot say, Mr. Xanatos," he said quickly as he applied a gauze bandage to what appeared to be a laser burn. "Young Lisette transported both Lexington and I here, but besides that, I cannot say. We shall have to wait until Lexington regains consciousness." 

Sighing, Xanatos nodded and slowly backed out of Owen's way. "Where on earth is Goliath?" he murmured quietly, not expecting, and not receiving an answer. 

Abandoned warehouse 

Wincing against the wave of pain that slowly wound its tight grip around her tender stomach, Lisette focused her hazy eyes on the large gargoyle that sat beside her. The concern on his face was evident for all to read and it didn't take a psychic -- or a mage -- to realize that he knew she was dying. Then again, she knew it herself. The pain from her wounded shoulder was insignificant compared to the pain that she felt on the inside. From a movie she had watched with Brooklyn, she knew that she was bleeding internally. Truly, she didn't know why this was so bad except for the fact that if she didn't get medical help soon, she didn't believe that she would make it. The character in the movie she had watched who was in the same predicament certainly didn't. 

"Lisette, what are you thinking?" Goliath asked, drawing the young woman away from her thoughts till she met Goliath's dark eyes. 

"Of life," Lisette murmured with a sad smile. 

"I will get you out of here," Goliath vowed, his frown deepening as he gently took Lisette's hand in his own, wary of how weak she was already growing and of how limp her slender hand was. 

Sighing, Lisette slowly smiled once more and met Goliath's dark eyes. "Do you think often of.. of your other clan?" she slowly murmured, her voice soft. 

Surprised by her question, Goliath sat back quickly and stared at the young woman with dark eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, wary of the direction that her question was no doubt leading. 

"I... I find myself often thinking of my clan," Lisette murmured, her eyes taking on a faraway cast. "I think about the good times with them... as well as that final night and day before they were destroyed," she whispered, a single tear trailing down her cheek. "Do you think of your clan as well?" 

Sighing, Goliath slowly closed his eyes and thought deeply over Lisette's words. "Who wouldn't?" he finally murmured, his caring eyes snapping open as they focused on the unfathomable depths of Lisette's sapphire blue eyes. "They were my clan and I was their leader..." Goliath said slowly, his thoughts drifting back to so long ago. "And their deaths shall forever rest on my shoulders." 

"No," Lisette quickly interrupted, her voice gaining a semblance of strength as she quickly squeezed Goliath's hand. "Brooklyn.. has told me of what happened to your clan. It was your mate who betrayed you all...." 

"Yes," Goliath acknowledged as he met her eyes solemnly, "but as their leader, I must share in that blame. Even if I wasn't directly responsible for their deaths, I was their leader and my duty was to protect them." 

"But..." 

"No buts," Goliath said quickly, a sad smile on his face. "That is something that all leaders must deal with -- the responsibility. And then they must live with the consequences." 

Hostage Situation 

"That's it," Elisa murmured, her voice deadly as yet another bullet winged off of her bright red and shiny paint job. "Something has gotta change!" she hissed as she turned her dark eyes to her partner. 

Seeing that familiar look in his partner's eyes, Matt quickly began shaking his head. "Just sit tight, Elisa, we'll get your car in the shop when this is all over with," he argued quickly, trying to brighten her mood with a little bit of insane humor. 

Shaking her head, Elisa felt a smile pull at her lips as she lightly reached over and punched her partner in the shoulder. "You know what I mean Matt, we have to end this before someone gets hurt. I'm going in there -- alone," she said, her voice as hard as steel as she dared Matt to contradict her. 

Something that he could easily do. "Oh, no you're not!" he quickly whispered back, his voice fierce. "Elisa, it's _way_ too dangerous to send you in!" 

"Matt, there's nothing that any of us can do from out here," Elisa quickly argued as she put her gun on the hard concrete and began slipping off her red bomber jacket. "Remember, there's a lady and her son and daughter inside with that psycho!" she hissed as she then slipped out of her holster. 

Sighing, Matt slowly nodded his head. Per usual, his partner was right. "Well, good luck partner," he whispered as he accepted her gun from her. 

Seeing how anxious Matt was, Elisa paused and reached over and squeezed his shoulder gently. "I have to go, Matt," she said quietly, her voice never rising above a level so that others would hear. "It's my _job_," she whispered, making it more than obvious that she wasn't just speaking about their jobs as being detectives. "This has gone on long enough and I can't help unless I'm in there with them." 

Nodding, Matt quickly met his partner's dark eyes. "I know. Just promise to be careful and take care of the family.. remember, it's my hide by Goliath if you get hurt," he muttered with a small smile as he once more picked up the bullhorn and put it to his lips. "Listen, this thing isn't going to be over until we work something out!" he yelled out, his voice carrying out above the noise of the cops, the yelling of the man, and the occasional gunfire. "Can we send in an unarmed officer to talk with you?" 

At the words that issued throughout the noisy night, Broadway quickly shot his two other companions a sharp look. From their position on the roof of the three-story building across the street from the man's home, the whole situation was apparent to their bird's eye view. "You don't think Elisa would..." he trailed off uncertainly as he met Angela and Brooklyn's concerned gazes. 

"Fine, send him in!" the psycho from across the street yelled out, finally stopping the barrage of fire that he had been unleashing upon the police force. 

Turning quickly, the three gargoyles watched as Elisa slowly stood up from behind her car, wearing nothing but her thin black tee-shirt and her jeans. "Everyone, hold your fire. We have an unarmed officer coming in to negotiate!" Matt's voice filled the night as he yelled through the bullhorn. 

Shaking her head, Angela watched as Elisa slowly began approaching the bullet ridden front door to the home, her hands in the air and in plain sight of everyone. "Yes, she would," she grimly answered her love's question. 

Groaning, Brooklyn quickly buried his head in his hands. "Ah man.. where's Lex at?" he muttered as he once more looked up to see Elisa's disappearing figure. 

The Aerie Building 

Groaning, Lexington slowly put one green hand to his aching head as he glanced around the brightly lit room. "Oh man.. what happened?" he muttered as he met the concerned eyes of Hudson, Xanatos, and Owen Burnett. 

Shaking his head, Hudson tore his eyes away from the young lad's bandaged shoulder and met his bright eyes. "We were hopin' that ye could tell us, lad." 

Abandoned Warehouse 

"Do... do you love Elisa?" Lisette asked softly, her gaze curious. 

Surprised by the sudden change of topics and her straight forward question, Goliath looked at the young woman with a shielded gaze. "Yes, I do," he finally answered, unsure as to why the personal question had been asked. 

"Why.. why do you love her?" she asked slowly, her voice growing weaker. "How do you know?" 

Usually, Goliath wasn't the type of gargoyle to talk about things that were so personal to his heart. Then again, he could easily see that the conversation was the only thing that was really keeping Lisette with him in the dark and musty space that they were enclosed within. It was true that he knew little about human medicine or procedures as such, but even he knew that for Lisette to fall into sleep or unconsciousness was not something that would help her any. So, that left him no choice but to answer her questions, and seeing as how he never really lied, that left nothing but the truth that was hidden so deeply within him. "I love my Elisa, because she is everything that I ever wanted in a mate," Goliath finally answered, speaking straight from his heart. 

At Goliath's words of love, Lisette felt her smile grow even larger. "Oui... vous êtes parfait pour chaque autre," Lisette murmured dreamily. "She is beautiful," she finally whispered, returning to English without even realizing that she had been speaking in the language native to her. 

Worried at the foreign words, Goliath quickly shook the thought away and focused on the conversation at hand. Immediately, a picture of his Elisa popped into his mind's eye -- his beautiful Elisa. "Yes, but there is so much more to it," he said quietly, his smile growing wide. "She's intelligent, a good leader, loving -- so much so that she cares for everyone else so much more than her own well-being," Goliath murmured, his expression turning thoughtful. "A true protector and so very brave..." 

Hostage Situation 

Muttering under her breath and once more wondering how her cozy night with Goliath had turned into such a mess, Elisa slowly lifted her hand and knocked on the old wooden door that marred the front of the house. As a warm breeze slowly filtered through her long masses of black hair, the door was jerked open, revealing a desolate living room beyond. 

"Get in here!" a voice snarled from its point from behind the door. 

Sighing, Elisa quickly stepped into the room as the door was slammed shut behind her. Turning, she found the business end of a sawed-off shotgun in her face, her adversary just behind it. 

"You the negotiator?" the man snarled in disbelief as he ran a sweaty hand through his neatly combed blond hair. 

Nodding slowly, Elisa took in the cause of the all the mess. The man looked to be only a few years older than herself, in his early thirties, with neatly combed blond hair tousled off to one side, a nice pair of slacks, and a business shirt to top it all off. Overall, the man looked like he belonged more in an office setting than in the grimy house she now occupied -- that is if it wasn't for the obvious look of hate that was plastered across his face or for the small splatter of blood that speckled his neatly pressed shirt. "Detective Maza, NYPD," she said calmly as she slowly lowered her hands and pointed at the shining badge that was clipped to her jeans. "You Tom Johnson?" she asked as the man took in her badge and then slowly circled around till he was standing opposite of her and the door. 

"Yeah, that's me," he growled as he kept the shotgun aimed at Elisa's head. 

Nodding slowly, Elisa let her gaze travel around the room. Instantly, her eyes alighted upon three huddled figures in the corner of the room. With narrowed eyes, she saw that the woman, most likely the man's wife, was once beautiful with glossy red hair and a model's figure -- but now she cowered with her eye darkened and blood trailing down her nose and lips. Biting back her disgust, she then saw the two little children that hid with their mother. Both looked to be in good condition, from what she could see of them from behind the mother. The girl resembled her father with curly blond hair, about four years of age, while the boy had the red hair of his mother, only about three years old. Turning her gaze, she once more focused on the deranged man. "You mind telling me what's going on?" she asked slowly, her voice even and light. 

Obviously unsure about talking to a woman, the man slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, that _whore_ over there didn't have my supper fixed when I got home!" he cursed, his eyes burning with anger as he nodded towards his cowering family. 

Biting back her disgust for the man, Elisa slowly shook her head. "Uh huh," she murmured as she racked her brain for ideas. Now that she was inside the house, she had to quickly defuse the situation before anyone was hurt and without giving herself away. Within a few seconds, a solution was evident. 

"Well, Tom," she slowly continued as she met his deranged eyes, "we're going to have to work on a solution." From the moment that she had stepped into the room, she knew that there would be no way of talking the man into putting his gun down and into surrendering. One look into his deranged eyes and it was obvious. Which meant that she had to rely on Plan B. As she continued to talk to the man in low and soothing tones, she slowly concentrated her magic on a glass vase that rested on an end table behind the man. As the man's eyes were trained on her, she slowly used her magic to gently nudge the vase till it finally clattered over the edge of the table where it crashed on the hardwood floor beneath. 

Yelping in surprise, the man quickly turned and swiveled the gun till it covered the area of the noise behind him. Moving at the same time, Elisa quickly darted forward and tackled the man, the gun falling in between them. Moving with the fall, Elisa firmly grabbed the gun from the man and rolled with it till she was resting on her knees and swiveled before him, gun held firmly in her hands and trained on the psychopath. Smiling, she looked down to see his astonished gaze resting upon her. "Don't move," she murmured, her voice low and deadly as she slowly climbed to her feet. 

Shaking his head, the man could do nothing but nod in agreement as he now stared down at his own deadly weapon, his astonished eyes never leaving the detective who stood before him. 

While keeping the man covered with the gun, Elisa slowly moved till she was standing beside the woman and the two children. "Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the man. 

"Yes, I think so," the woman murmured slowly as she climbed hesitantly to her feet, keeping her children hidden behind her. 

"Good, then I need you to move over to the door and head on outside," Elisa instructed as she nodded to the front door. "The police are all waiting out there, so just send them on in when you get out there." 

Nodding her head quickly, the woman managed a brief smile at Elisa before shepherding her children to the door. As they stepped outside, the man quickly began yelling after them. "Come back here you little tramp!" he screeched as he slowly started getting to his feet. 

"Oh no you don't," Elisa ordered as she slowly stepped forward, the gun poised and ready. "I want you to lie back down and wait there with your hands resting above your head like a good boy." 

Cursing, the man slowly slid back to the floor and did as was told. A few seconds later and the house was swarming with cops. Grinning, Matt hurried up to his partner and clapped her warmly on the shoulder as the man was being handcuffed. "Nice work, partner!" he cried out with a large grin. 

Smiling, Elisa finally allowed her posture to relax as she passed the gun off to a uniformed officer that was passing by. "As always," she replied with a grin as she slowly stepped out of the humid house and into the cool night beyond. 

Laughing, Matt followed his partner back to her car where he watched her rubbing her hand gently over the many bullet holes that decorated the passenger side of her car. "Hope you're insured!" he laughed as he picked up Elisa's soft red bomber jacket from the ground and passed it over to his partner. 

"Very funny," Elisa murmured as she shouldered her way into her coat, her face twisted into a scowl as she thought of how much the repairs were going to cost her again. 

Suddenly, a symphony of voices began filling the night air: "Elisa! Elisa?!" Surprised, Matt realized that the voices were drifting out of the tiny mic that was attached to the collar of Elisa's coat. Arching an eyebrow, Matt quickly nodded towards Elisa's car as she grabbed her holster and gun from the road and followed his lead. Before anyone else could overhear the voices, they were both once more in the privacy of Elisa's, now battered, red fairlane. 

"What's up guys?" Elisa asked quickly as she started her car and began pulling away from the scene, knowing that her uniformed co-workers could handle the paperwork and hauling the perp in. 

"Elisa! We have a problem!" Brooklyn's low voice flowed out of the small mic, his concerned voice quickly filling the small car. 

Arching a concerned eye over at her partner, Elisa quickly pulled the mic closer. "What's wrong, Brooklyn? Where are you guys?" Elisa asked as she overheard the sounds of the city passing below the gargoyles, making it obvious that they were on the move. 

"Angela, Broadway, and I are on our way over to the warehouse district." 

"What's going on over there?" Matt asked, overhearing the second in command's worried words. 

"Yeah, what's going on?" Elisa asked, repeating her partner's question. 

"Don't know," Brooklyn's voice replied vaguely. "We just got a call from Xanatos saying that Lexington was ambushed earlier this evening over in the warehouse district..." 

"Is he alright?" Elisa asked quickly, worry clamping a firm hand over her heart. 

"Yeah, he'll be fine, but Goliath and Lisette went on over there over an hour ago and no one has heard from them since," Brooklyn's voice crackled through, easily betraying his own worry. 

Shaking her head, Elisa felt the small tendril of fear that had coiled around her heart grow even larger with Brooklyn's words. "We're..." she began when the police radio in her car burst into life. 

"I repeat," the dispatcher's voice filtered through the speakers, "an explosion at 12216 W Thornton in the warehouse district..." 

Instantly, Matt turned his head to his partner and watched as she clamped her foot down on the accelerator. Turning, Matt quickly reached forward and snatched the microphone from the handset. "Maza and Bluestone responding," he quickly murmured, trying to maintain a facade of calm. "We're on our way." 

Abandoned Warehouse 

"Do you.. do you think that Brooklyn loves me?" Lisette asked slowly, a small frown covering her face. "Like you love Elisa?" 

Smiling, Goliath gently squeezed the young woman's hand, all the while noticing how her skin had become cooler over the last few minutes. "I can't say for sure what my second's feelings are," Goliath answered slowly. "But I can say for sure that he does care for you.. quite a bit, too." 

Wincing as another wave of pain filled her body, Lisette slowly managed yet another weak smile. "I have never.. I've never had someone care for me as Brooklyn does," she said, her smile growing wistful. "Has he ever... cared about others like he does with me?" 

At this, Goliath paused and thought over the young woman's question. Instantly, thoughts of Brooklyn's perusals of Angela and Maggie passed through his mind. He had obviously tried very hard to win their affections, yet at the same time, Goliath doubted that Brooklyn ever really did _care_ for the two as he obviously did for Lisette right then. "Not the way that he cares for you," Goliath finally answered, feeling that he was speaking the truth. 

Smiling, Lisette felt her cooling heart warm a little at the large gargoyle's words. "That is good," she murmured as her eyes fluttered for a moment. Straining, she fought the darkness as Goliath squeezed her hand. "Please.. please tell Brooklyn that I did love him," she murmured as another wave of pain consumed her body, causing her to scream out in pain. 

And as though answering against her plea of salvation from the pain that she was feeling, the structure above them, no longer even fit to be called a building, let alone a warehouse, shifted and groaned. Crying out in fear, Lisette watched through hazy eyes as Goliath immediately tensed and crouched over her, shielding her from the array of falling boards and plaster. 

When the structure once more gained a semblance of stability, he slowly pulled back and saw that Lisette's pale face was now filled with not only pain, but fear as well. "Just hold on," Goliath murmured, the worry thick in his throat. "The others will be here soon..." 

Cursing, Elisa slipped her battered car in and out of the busy traffic of Manhattan, trying her best to get there as fast as she could. "Elisa," Matt warned, his voice betraying his fear as he clutched the roof of the car for dear life, "we're not going to help them any if we end up in a wreck." 

"This is taking too long, Matt!" Elisa hissed, her eyes flashing green with worry and fear. "They could be in trouble..." 

"Or they could be just fine!" Matt protested as they cut off yet another taxi cab to a hail of angry words and honking. 

"No, it's been too long.. something's wrong," Elisa murmured as she swerved around a slow moving Cadillac. "And this is taking too long!" she cried out in frustration as she swerved her car into a nearby dark and deserted alleyway. "Guys, where are you?" she half roared into the mic as she stepped outside of her car, Matt following her with a curious gaze. 

"Right here," Broadway called out as he alighted on the ground beside him. Instantly, he began massaging his sore wings -- after all, it wasn't the easiest trying to keep up with an Elisa Maza who was bent on breaking every traffic law there was in the book to get to the warehouse quickly. 

"What is it, Elisa?" Angela asked, obviously wary of taking even a short respite from their hurried pace to the warehouse. Unlike the guys in the group, Angela shared her friend's worry for her father. There was something wrong about the whole situation -- she had a _really_ bad feeling. 

"This is taking too long, and this will be faster!" Elisa cried out as she indicated for the group to gather closer to her red fairlane. 

"Elisa, you don't want to..." Matt began to warn as Elisa quickly murmured a spell beneath her breath. 

He didn't even have a chance to finish his words when the car was surrounded by the eerie green light of Talika's magic. A second later, the group disappeared from the grimy alley, a few drunken winos the only witnesses to the bizarre sight. 

"Did you see that?" one man with stringy black hair asked to his red headed companion. 

Blinking her eyes, the woman quickly looked from the sight where the car and the monsters had so recently occupied and back to the large bottle of Jack Daniels that she held. Grinning a smile that was devoid of most teeth, she quickly brought the bottle to her lips and passed it to her friend. "Nah, not a thing," she cackled, her dark eyes twinkling in the dark night. 

Abandoned Warehouse 

As the green mist dissipated from around them, the wary group took in their surrounding. Instantly, though, their eyes lit upon the devastation of what was once one of Xanatos's old and abandoned warehouses. And just as quickly, the hearts of three were clenched with fear as they rushed the rubble that was almost level with the land, signifying that the building had fallen in upon itself. 

"Goliath!" Elisa screamed out, all hopes of her future crashing before her very eyes as surely as the building had. Unwilling to lose hope, Elisa nonetheless felt the weight of centuries lie on her shoulders as the unnerving prospect of spending eternity alone shone starkly at her in the dark night. 

"Lisette!" Brooklyn roared as he joined Elisa at the precipice of the pit of debris and destruction. When the call had come in from Xanatos, Brooklyn hadn't been too concerned. He knew that Goliath and Lisette were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Then again, with Elisa's obvious worry and the obvious destruction before them... well, his worry was finally right up there with the clan's most trusted friend... worry and fear. 

"Father! Lisette!" Angela's voice rang out almost simultaneously with the others. If the two were anywhere near the old warehouse at the time of the explosion, Angela knew their chances weren't good. And then when considering that no one had heard from them in over an hour either, to her that signified that without a doubt they were. Then again, the thought of losing her father and her closest female friend since Ophelia was unimaginable -- it brought her desperate hope. 

"Goliath! Lisette!" the clan yelled as one as they lined the pit. 

Jerking back in shock, Goliath trained his sharp ears to the world above. 

"Goliath, what is it?" Lisette murmured, her eyes fluttering open as she felt her companion's hand go tense within her own. 

"I thought I heard Elisa's voice," was Goliath's puzzled reply, a small frown once more returning to his face as he turned back to the young mage. 

"Elisa, where are they?" Angela asked slowly as Broadway held her tightly. The fear on her young face was plain for all to see. "Why aren't they answering?" 

"I don't know, Angela. I don't know," Elisa murmured quietly. 

Shaking his head, Matt quickly met his partner's large brown eyes. "You stay here and find them. I'm going to go find out what happened and keep the guards busy." 

Nodding her head, Elisa gently closed her eyes and focused her senses on the surrounding night -- all six of them. "Come on, Lisette. Talk to me," Elisa murmured quietly. 

Hearing Goliath's words, Lisette gently closed her eyes and slowly began gathering what magic she could towards her battered body. 

"Lisette?" Goliath asked urgently, cold dread filling his body as he watched a very pale field of green build around her body. "What are you doing?" 

"We cannot hear them... or they us..." Lisette murmured as she drew even more upon what little strength remained -- more like she was using up what little she had left in reserves. "Not with everything above... I must find out if she is near..." 

"But," Goliath broke in, knowing that Lisette obviously didn't have the energy to waste on such things -- even if it meant their salvation. 

"Goliath, fermez ton bouche so I can concentrate!" Lisette suddenly snapped, her voice showing a strength she didn't feel in her impatience, her sharp blue eyes boring into his own. 

Instantly, Goliath quieted and allowed the young mage to do her thing. In truth, he had no idea what she just told him to do, but as a long time leader of his clan, he instantly recognized the tone in her voice as one he often used... and one that he rarely heard directed at himself -- except when used by Elisa when she was fed up with his stubbornness. For that fact alone, Goliath knew he would not be able to convince her otherwise. 

And so with silence reigning in their make-shift tomb, Lisette weakly sent forth with her magic with the wild hope of finding help. Amazingly, her call was almost immediately answered when she felt a strong magical presence that she instantly recognized as Elisa's touched with her own magic. "Elisa and the others... are here.." Lisette murmured quietly with the smallest of smiles as her eyes slowly slid shut and darkness finally claimed her. 

Even as his heart was warmed by her words, so did Goliath's heart freeze as Lisette's hand went limp in his. "Lisette? Lisette!" Goliath roared, forgetting his own pain as he slipped closer to the young woman. As he felt for a pulse, all of the training that Elisa had forced the clan to go through after the Caleb incident kicked in. "Not breathing. No pulse," Goliath murmured as he began administering CPR, all the while weary of his strength and the force he used. In the back of his mind, Goliath realized that were it not for his new training, Lisette would not survive. Heck, even with his training she may not survive. Still, Lisette, le mage magique as she was sometimes called, friend to the clan, was technically dead. On this dark night, Lisette had died. 

"They're alive," Elisa breathed quietly as a frown creased her brow. She could feel Lisette's magic, but the field was so weak that it was almost nonexistent. Then, just as quickly as Elisa had formed the connection it was broken as Lisette's magic died away. 

"Elisa?" Broadway asked hopefully as he held Angela's thin frame even tighter. 

Suddenly, the detective's large eyes snapped open as she stepped closer to the pit, her expression frantic as she scanned the ruinous building. "Lisette," she whispered quietly, her voice filled with such a profound pain and despair that Brooklyn's heart immediately froze. 

Closing her eyes once more, Elisa desperately searched for the remnants of Lisette's magic, of anything she could use to discern her location. And then she had it -- the faintest wisp of the young woman's magic that she snatched onto like a bulldog. It was so filmy and faint that Elisa knew instantly that it was just residual from their brief contact. Still, she latched onto it and slowly began to trace it back to its source. Painstakingly she went further and further back until after several agonizing seconds she felt Goliath's comforting presence -- she had found them. 

Without wasting a second, knowing there were none to waste, Elisa quickly cast a spell of transportation. A moment later, a bright circle of green light broke the night darkness before the clan. When it disappeared, in its place lay the still body of Lisette with Goliath's towering frame kneeling over, breathing into her mouth. 

"Lisette!" Brooklyn yelled out as he quickly knelt opposite of Goliath. Without thinking, he then took over the breathing as Goliath pumped the young woman's unmoving chest. 

Shocked at the sight, Elisa quickly tore her eyes away from Goliath's bloodied shoulder and then focused on the broken and battered figure that held everyone's attention. Even as she wondered whether her words had been spoken too soon, Elisa rushed forward and knelt beside Brooklyn. "Move out of the way," she ordered as she placed her hands on Lisette's dirty and tattered blue dress that hid her flat stomach. 

"No, get back!" Goliath grunted as he continued pumping her chest, pausing only when it was time for Brooklyn to breathe. 

"Goliath, I'm immortal. I'll come back!" Elisa argued as she stared at the pale tinge of Lisette's normally tanned skin. 

"No, you're not. She's still got the darkness within her," Goliath murmured as Brooklyn quickly shouted, "She's breathing and I've got a weak pulse!" Knowing that Lisette wasn't out of the woods yet, Goliath quickly looked at Elisa. His love still sat opposite of him with shock written upon her face as she stared down at Lisette's still body. From her reaction, it was obvious that Elisa had been unaware of the dark matter that lingered in Lisette's veins. "Can you get us out of here?" he asked gently, breaking his love's shocked stupor. 

Nodding numbly, Elisa waved Broadway and Angela closer before murmuring the spell of transportation for a third time that night. A second later, the group of six disappeared in a flash of green light. 

"I already told you," a single voice broke the quiet of the night that had once more fallen on the devastated building, "that my partner is handling this..." 

"Nonsense, Detective Bluestone," Frank Johnson, the old guard who had called in the bombing, argued as they walked between the warehouses, drawing closer to the ruinous pit. "Until we get a hold of Mr. Xanatos and hear from him, I insist that one of us be there with you. And with Hank watching the front, that means I'm with you and... Detective Maza?" he trailed off as he entered the clearing that was once a warehouse a few short hours before. Scratching his head of white hair, Frank surveyed the familiar site that was empty of everything save for a shot up red fairlane. Puzzled, he turned his portly figure towards the lanky detective that stood beside him. "I thought you said Detective Maza was down here," he muttered slowly, his puffy white eyebrows raising in confusion. 

"Uh..." Matt stuttered as he groped for a plausible explanation. "I did. She was," he said quickly. "But she left." 

"Without her car?" the old guard asked in disbelief. 

"Um... yeah," Matt agreed, making a mental note to kill Elisa later. 

Shaking his head, Frank slowly started towards the pit of debris. "First you guys drive through the front gate without us seeing you or your car and then your partner leaves without her car... I need a drink," he finally muttered as he shuffled forward. 

Unable to even form a small smile for the guard, Matt trudged on, his thoughts on Goliath and Lisette, speculating on their condition and their whereabouts. Suddenly, a single thought struck him in place. "Elisa better have left her keys!" 

Castle Wyvern 

Sighing softly, Goliath followed Brooklyn's frantic pacing of the infirmary's waiting room's tiled floor. Shaking his head, he glanced into Elisa's warm brown eyes as she gently patted his bandaged shoulder. Sighing once more, he then watched as Broadway tried to reassure Angela of Lisette's condition in a corner while Xanatos did much the same with Fox. On the other side of he and Elisa sat Hudson and Lexington, the latter also swathed in white bandages. "Xanatos, why did this happen?" Goliath finally asked, his voice betraying his weariness of the long night -- a night that still had many hours to go before it saw the coming dawn. 

Shaking his head, Xanatos quickly met Goliath's eyes. "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. From the information that Owen was able to gather for me before your arrival, there was no reason for anyone to want to blow up the warehouse; it was empty and old," David Xanatos answered truthfully, his arm still wrapped reassuringly around his wife's shoulders. 

"A scare tactic?" Elisa asked, jumping into the conversation -- anything to keep her mind off of what was going on just beyond the door that stood before her. 

"Against me personally or my company?" Xanatos asked, obviously intrigued by the detective's suggestion. 

"Neither," Goliath broke in solemnly before Elisa could respond. "It was a sign, a scare tactic, for the clan." 

"What do ye mean, lad?" Hudson asked as he slowly got to his feet. 

"It is too coincidental that the timer to the detonation devices were set to go off when we were inside," Goliath murmured quietly. "Especially so soon after Lexington had been wounded..." 

"Wounded just badly enough," Elisa interrupted with a thoughtful look, "that he would be able to make it back to the castle..." 

"And send others," Lexington finished grimly, realizing that he had played an unwilling and unknowing part in a plot against his clan.. again. 

"So we have a new enemy," Broadway mumbled thoughtfully. 

"Or an old one," Goliath added as he turned and watched as Brooklyn continued to pace, never having taken part in the conversation. "Brooklyn, she will be alright," he said simply, praying that he was right. 

"How do you know?" Brooklyn asked quickly, no disrespect evident in his voice as he finally stopped and looked earnestly at his leader. "They've been in there for hours and we all know that she was hurt bad!" he said, his voice cracking as a picture of the President's wife in 'Independence Day' flashed before his eyes. He had recently watched the movie with Angela, Broadway, and Lisette, and even though he and Broadway had laughed over the way the girls had cried over the mother's death, now it wasn't even remotely funny. 

"Brooklyn," Elisa began to say when the door to the infirmary opened as a neatly pressed Owen stepped out. 

Before anyone had a chance to badger him with questions, Owen calmly gave them the information that they so desired. "Miss Lisette suffered from severe internal bleeding and three broken ribs..." Instantly the questions began pouring forth, causing once more for Owen to raise his hand for silence. As a hush fell over the room, Owen began speaking once again. "I was able to stop the bleeding, and while she is still in critical condition, I believe that she will survive till sunrise when, hopefully, Detective Maza will change her form into a gargoyle so that she can heal in stone hibernation." 

"Of course," Elisa answered quickly as she squeezed Goliath's arm gently. 

"Can we see her?" Brooklyn broke in quickly, his voice betraying his impatience. 

"Young Lisette is still unconscious, but I will allow one of you at a time to sit with her..." 

"I'll go first," Brooklyn quickly interrupted as he darted into the room. 

Shrugging his shoulders at the amused group, Owen turned and followed the young second-in-command into the room, closing the door gently behind him. 

Shaking her head, Elisa felt her small smile slip off of her face as she turned and looked up into Goliath's twinkling eyes. "Would you care to join me in the library?" she asked, her expression somber. "There something that we need to do." And as if able to guess any words against her idea, she quickly continued. "The clan will notify us if anything changes and besides, with Brooklyn in there, I doubt we would get to see Lisette anyway." 

Nodding his head in agreement, Goliath gently began leading Elisa from the room and then down the twisting halls of the castle. Minutes later, they were once more in the room in which the night had begun. "What is it, Elisa?" Goliath finally asked, worry creasing his brow ridge. 

Sighing, Elisa suddenly pulled Goliath towards her and hung on for dear life. Sensing Goliath's surprise, she felt her love hold back for a moment before finally wrapping his strong arms around her and then shielded them from the world with his large, velvety wings. "I could have lost you tonight," Elisa murmured, silent tears dripping down her cheeks as she realized how truly close she had come to just that. 

"But you didn't," Goliath answered simply as he pulled back and smiled down at her. 

Showing the faintest of smiles, Elisa slowly reached a small hand up and gently caressed Goliath's smooth cheek. "Goliath, because of who I am, it's eternity for me. The Creator even warned me to tie you to me before you almost died again." At her words, both felt a small laugh escape their lips. "I guess that I should have listened better, huh?" Elisa asked with a smile. 

"I take it then, that you would like to cast the spell right now?" Goliath asked with a teasing smile. 

"Before the castle fell upon us before I had a chance? Yes. But only with your permission," Elisa grinned. 

"And you will always have it, my only love," Goliath answered seriously as his eyes slid shut. 

Nodding slightly, Elisa stepped out of Goliath's embrace and called her magic to her. "Magics of creation granted to me, hear my plea and do as I command. Across the mists of space and time, I pose this covenant sublime. The Creator hath granted his permission to link us as one till the end of time. While he with fang and claw and wing doth swear, sweet love shall we forever know. By our acceptance we are confined unto each other's fates; aligned forever an eternal vow and each the others pain resound. The pact is made and my work is done, make our love eternally spun." 

When the spell had been cast and the bind had been done, Elisa gratefully stepped within Goliath's embrace once more. "What are you thinking of?" she asked quietly, unconsciously repeating the very same question that she had asked of him earlier in the evening. 

"About what a wonderful addition to the clan Lisette has been," Goliath murmured, feeling Elisa's smile against the skin of his chest. 

"And what brought about these sentiments?" Elisa asked coyly. 

"I took advantage of a situation and followed the good advice of a friend," Goliath answered, feeling the grin split his lips. 

Laughing, Elisa shook her head as she nestled deeper within Goliath's embrace. 

"Um.. Elisa?" Goliath asked, drawing her away from the warmth. 

"Hmm?" 

"What does... 'fermez ton bouche' mean?" Goliath asked slowly, recalling Lisette's words from earlier. 

Surprised, Elisa drew back and stared up into Goliath's dark eyes. "Why do you ask?" 

"Because Lisette spoke them to me... quite vehemently this evening," Goliath answered with a wry smile, "using a tone that only you have ever really used with me." 

At this, Elisa once more broke into laughter. 

"What?" Goliath asked, a small frown appearing on his face. 

"It means, 'shut your mouth,'" Elisa giggled, as a strange look passed over Goliath's face. 

"She told me to shut up," Goliath murmured in disbelief as a slow smile spread across his face. Soon, his booming laughter joined that of his love's and filled the small confines of the cozy library. All would be well once more.

**THE END**

   [1]: mailto:Lisette_1@lycos.com



	10. Dreams -- Part One

**"Dreams -- Part One"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 06/21/99

Revised on: 08/30/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. A portion of the story was taken directly from the Gargoyles' episodes, _Awakenings: Part One_ and _Hunter's Moon: Part Three._ The characters of Talika and Lisette, on the other hand, are of the others creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the first part of the eighth part of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: Dreams, the windows to a person's soul, can be the most dangerous weapon of them all. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

**_Dreams -- Part One_**

The cool Autumn breeze whispered past the silent ears of the sleeping city in the dark enshrouded night. But higher up, the soft breeze had been transformed into a howling wind that roared in between the towering buildings, in between every nook and cranny. Because of that wind, no clouds were to be seen, the last remnants having been blown away long ago. Instead, the bright moon shone eerily down on the dark night, further illuminated by a dark sea of bright stars. Still, despite their brightness, the fierce wind only made the stars' light look cold and unforgiving. All in all, it wasn't the most inviting night to be out -- a fact that Lisette was well aware of. 

As long as she could remember, Lisette had always been sensitive to the moods of others. This night, it felt as though she was sensitive to the very night itself. Shivering, she hugged her pale blue arms tightly around her thin form as the wind buffeted her form from every angle. Silently thanking Angela for suggesting the French braid that now securely tied her long blond hair behind her, Lisette glanced over at her companion. Like always, Goliath glided on as stoic as ever, obviously unaffected by the wind or the night's strange influences. Shaking off the feelings of foreboding that nearly choked her with their oppressiveness, Lisette caught a strong wind current and caught up to her leader. 

Sensing another's presence, Goliath turned his head and watched as Lisette winged up beside him. Surprised, he then noticed her small frown and the way that she had wrapped her arms around herself. Worried for a moment, Goliath quickly wondered if this patrol was the cause of her discomfort. It had been a week since he and Lisette had been buried alive beneath the old warehouse and tonight was their first patrol together since. Earlier, when Goliath had announced the patrol teams, sending Brooklyn and Broadway in one direction and Lexington and Angela in another, Brooklyn had jokingly wondered aloud as to whether it was wise sending Goliath and Lisette on a patrol together. At the time, Lisette had laughed with the rest and had playfully punched the Second in the arm. Now, he wasn't so sure that her actions were genuine. "Are you cold?" Goliath finally asked, concern entering his voice as he broke the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. 

Startled, Lisette turned her bright blue eyes to the massive lavender gargoyle that glided beside her. "No... I do not feel the cold wind's bite in this form," Lisette replied, indicating her lithe gargoyle form. "It is just this night... it is very ominous, no?" 

Slightly surprised, Goliath turned and surveyed the dark night. To him, the night was beautiful with a bright and full moon and millions of twinkling stars above. Smiling wryly, Goliath realized that his earlier thoughts of Elisa were probably of some influence upon his opinion. Shaking his head, Goliath once more turned back towards the young mage. "I find the night invigorating, which is surprising seeing as how our opinions are usually reversed." 

Smiling, Lisette slowly nodded her head. "True, but..." she trailed off as her sharp vision traced a single figure slinking across a dark rooftop before disappearing inside a skylight. 

"What is it?" Goliath asked slowly as he followed Lisette's gaze down to the roof of the Museum of Natural History. Groaning inwardly, Goliath briefly wondered as to why this place seemed to attract trouble. 

Glancing once more at the familiar building before turning back to her leader, Lisette nodded her head. "I saw someone go into the museum through the... glass window?" she trailed off, forgetting the English word that she was looking for. 

"The skylight?" Goliath supplied as he began his descent. 

Nodding her head, Lisette quickly followed as a familiar feeling of excitement and adrenaline began filling her veins. Groaning quietly at this realization, Lisette silently followed Goliath to the broken glass. "I have not just influenced Brooklyn, but he has influenced me as well," she murmured in exasperation as she realized the excitement was catching from him. 

Overhearing her words, Goliath smiled softly before bringing his fingers to his lips for silence. At her nod of understanding, Goliath slowly crouched down and took in the dark room below. Moving quietly, he then slipped through the hole and allowed for his strong wings to carry him to the ground so far below, with no sound but the soft rustle of his wings. A moment later, Lisette was beside him as they slowly began creeping through the dark building. While he was accustomed to seeing the oddities that lined their path, Lisette obviously found them intriguing. And when they passed through the dinosaur exhibit, Goliath almost slipped up by laughing aloud at her obvious fright of the displays. But then he was all seriousness once again as they neared the Egyptian room and heard a soft rustling from within. Moving slowly and carefully Goliath inched forward and peeked into the room. Instantly, his eyes lit upon a blue gargoyle form with fiery red hair trailing down her shoulders -- a gargess who was busy stuffing scroll after ancient scroll from a nearby display into a bag that was slung over her shoulder, illuminated only by the bright moonlight that poured through the skylight above her. Suddenly, he felt Lisette by his side, and by the way she tensed he knew that she recognized not only Demona but the laser gun that rested by her feet as well. Worried, Goliath turned to her, expecting to see fear in her large blue eyes -- instead, he saw only anger that made her eyes burn red. 

"After you," she murmured quietly, trying to calm her anger. 

Nodding, Goliath stepped into the room and allowed the bright moonlight to illuminate him. He couldn't help but think that should Demona make Lisette even angrier that she already was, she'd be taking another trip to Antarctica this night. Once more forcing back the smile that was clearly inappropriate for the occasion, the look of solemness that was so common for him returned. "Demona, put the scrolls back," Goliath said, finally gaining the gargess's attention. 

As Demona turned and her eyes locked on Goliath's strong form, she felt her face drain of all color and the world melt away. "Goliath!" Demona whispered fiercely, a single tear stinging her eyes as the scrolls were forgotten. 

Puzzled by his enemy's reaction to his appearance, Goliath took a step back as she took a step forward. Demona looked as though she had seen a ghost as the bag of scrolls slipped unnoticed off of her shoulder and to the floor below, a single scroll clutched tightly in one hand. And then it hit him -- to Demona, he was a ghost. The last time he had seen Demona was almost a year ago when she had shot him with the poisoned dart that was meant for Elisa. In a fit of anger, his love had then sent Demona to Norway... the gargess didn't know that he wasn't dead. But before any more words could be spoken, Lisette joined Goliath in the moonlight and glared at the fiery gargess. 

Once more Demona's reaction was immediate as she backed up a pace and scrutinized the new gargess. She was younger than herself with pale blond hair that was pulled back in a braid that was similar to her daughter's, pale blue skin, and was wearing a white halter top and loin cloth that mimicked her own and glowed softly in the moonlight. While Demona knew she had never seen this new gargoyle before, at the same time, she looked familiar. Scrutinizing the gargess's face, Demona thought back to the last time she had thought she had found a new gargoyle... in the end, it turned out to be the human that she so despised... Elisa Maza. Then it hit her. "Maza!" Demona roared in sudden anger. The gargess looked almost exactly like a younger version of the hated human. 

Surprised, Lisette felt her anger be replaced by confusion as she glanced quickly at Goliath before returning her gaze to Demona. "No, my name is Lisette. 

Thrown off by the soft voice and the obvious French accent, Demona floundered for words. The voice definitely didn't belong to the annoying detective.. which meant that it was a new gargoyle? 

"Yes, we have met," Lisette continued as though Demona had spoken aloud, her voice growing hard. "But you never gave me the opportunity to introduce myself before you _shot_ me with.. with.." Lisette sputtered, her eyes glowing red as she searched for the word. 

"Your laser gun," Goliath supplied with a low growl. 

"What?" Demona gasped in disbelief. She would never shoot another gargoyle... unless it was one of Goliath's clan that is. A human, yes, but even that she hadn't done since that time that she.. was.. sent to Antarctica? Gasping, Demona finally recognized the new gargess for who she really was. "You?" she roared, her eyes blazing red. "You're the one who sent me to that blasted continent!!" 

Nodding the affirmative with a grim smile, Lisette prepared herself and her magic for the dive for the laser gun that she knew would come. That would be Demona's only assault against them besides for her own talons, and Lisette was ready and waiting for either. Unfortunately, the attack came in a way that she wasn't expecting. Just as Demona began heading towards the laser gun, Lisette let loose the blast she had prepared and sent it clattering across the floor. 

Smiling, Demona saw her chance as the young one did exactly as she had been expecting. The second that the being's attention was diverted away from herself, Demona sprang into action. Quickly, she murmured a short spell under her breath as a flash of white light flew from her finger tips and impacted with the gargess. 

"Lisette!" Goliath roared as the magic connected with the distracted mage and slammed her back into the wall behind her. As she fell to the ground, Goliath saw that a silver chain now tightly encircled her. Growling, Goliath turned back just in time to see Demona's tail swish through a jagged hole that she had created in the skylight above them. "Demona!" Goliath roared as he moved beneath the light, ready to give pursuit. Suddenly, a small groan reminded him of his clan member and his responsibility to her. Shaking his head, he quickly decided to leave Demona for another night. She had only gotten away with one scroll in the end and had even left her laser gun. 

Turning, he walked back to where Lisette was struggling to her feet, her arms and wings bound tightly and painfully to her sides in the iron chain. "Are you alright?" Goliath asked, trying his best to hide his smile and the laugh that were threatening to come forth at Lisette's predicament. 

"I would be doing better if I was not restrained as I am," Lisette growled, noticing Goliath's guarded amusement. 

Swallowing his humor, Goliath stepped forward and slid his hands over her flat stomach and under the tight chain. Grunting, he pulled with all of his might, quickly understanding why she had been unable to remove the restraints by herself. Finally, several exhausting moments later, the magical chain crashed to the floor, finally freeing the trapped mage. 

Smiling her thanks, Lisette gently rubbed her aching limbs. "Thank you for telling me that Demona was a sorceress," she murmured sarcastically as she stretched out her sore wings, her smile softening her sharp words. 

Shaking his head, Goliath gingerly picked up the laser rifle and slung it over his shoulder before hopping through the second hole that Demona had created and landed gently on the roof. As soon as Lisette was beside him he quickly took to the air. "You never asked." 

Ignoring his comment, Lisette quickly arched her neck to look back at the building. "What about the scrolls?" Lisette called out as they began heading back towards the Aerie Building. 

"If no one heard the fighting, then they definitely heard you hitting the wall," Goliath chuckled, pointedly ignoring Lisette's glare. 

"A lot of help you were," was Lisette's muttered reply. 

"In any case, the guards can deal with the scrolls." 

"And what of the one she got? Why did she want them?" 

"I'm not sure," Goliath replied, a frown appearing, "but let us hope that she did not get what she wanted." 

* * *

Dominique Destine's Manor 

Growling in anger, Demona quickly strode through her empty mansion till she stood in her favorite room -- the one that contained all of her spell books and scrolls that she had accumulated throughout the centuries. "That little wench!" she roared, not caring if she woke her neighbors. Then again, by now they were probably accustomed to all of the strange noises that originated at the gloomy manor. The only thing that prevented her from going into a murderous rage, though, was the image of the gargess flying into a far wall. 

As the image flashed before her mind's eye once again, Demona felt a small smile pull at her lips. At least she had taught the wench a lesson. After her recent encounters with magic and the third race, Demona had searched diligently until she had found a relatively simple and easy spell that would conjure up a chain of iron and link it around her victim. She only wished that she could have stayed long enough to find out if the stranger was in fact fae, human, or gargoyle. Growling, Demona quickly shook her head. She was still trying to decide what Maza was! One minute she was a weak human, the next a gargoyle, and then she was using fairy magic. That little mystery had been puzzling her ever since she had.. shot Goliath. 

Goliath was alive. Strangely, Demona felt her heart soar at that news. But how could that be? Goliath was her enemy who always managed to foil her plots! Could it be that she still did love the stubborn fool? To that, she had no answer. She'd like to think that she had gotten over those feelings long ago. Then again, after she had thought Goliath dead, she had gone through a period of mourning during her forced visit to Norway. But then, something had come over her and she was desperate to find a way to bring him back. At the time, she had convinced herself that she was just doing it so that she could rule the clan through him... now she wasn't so sure. 

Still, she had been on a quest to bring her ex-mate back from the dead, buoyed with hope that it was possible by such proof as Coldstone. Which led her to the Museum of Natural History. She had heard rumor that there was a spell that could be useful towards her cause hidden somewhere within one of the many Egyptian scrolls to be found in the museum. A spell that was written by the ancient people who had been so obsessed with the line between life and mainly death, themselves. Now, the spell was needed no longer. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Demona tossed the Egyptian scroll into a corner on a pile of others and retreated to her desk. She had lost too much time already and had to return to her main goal once again: finding a way to commit genocide against the human race while leaving hers intact. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

"So, what do you think Demona was after?" Broadway asked after Goliath and Lisette had finished filling the clan in on the escapade at the museum. 

"Obviously the scrolls," Brooklyn replied lightly as he draped one arm over Lisette's pale blue shoulders. While to the others he appeared clam and collected, on the inside he was seething. Ever since Demona had tricked him into betraying Goliath so long ago, his dislike for her had been obvious to all. But then to hear how Demona had attacked his love... well, that was pushing his buttons if nothing else was. Obviously during his short time with her, Brooklyn's protective instinct had widened until it included Lisette as well -- much to her displeasure. 

Scowling at his rookery brother, Broadway turned back to the clan. "You know what I mean. What was in the scrolls that she could use?" 

"Magic to kill all the humans, probably," Lexington murmured, his large eyes somber. 

"Do you really think Mother is still trying?" Angela asked quietly, pained by the thought that her own mother would be still trying to do such a horrific thing. 

"We don't know, Angela," Goliath answered slowly as the clan turned their attention to their leader. "Which is why we must have someone guarding the scrolls at all times. The odds say that the scroll that she was after was not the one that she happened to hold onto and get away with." 

"But who will guard during the day?" Angela asked. 

Turning, Goliath looked directly at Lisette. "We will take turns guarding by night while Lisette will watch during the day." 

"All day?" Brooklyn asked, his voice tinged with disappointment as he realized that Lisette would then spend her evenings sleeping and that he would never get to see her now. 

Knowing Brooklyn's worries, Goliath smiled slightly. He would feel the same way if Elisa was ever moved to the day shift -- he _had_ felt the same way during the Hunter's Moon. "I will speak with Elisa and see if she can take watch part of the day. For now, I want you, Lexington, to head over to the museum -- the police should be finishing up soon. Radio us if you hear or see anything slightly suspicious, and Lisette, I want you there by sunrise." 

"And until then, I would like to work with young Lisette," Owen stated calmly, surprising the clan as he stepped out of the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back. 

Groaning quietly, Lisette turned towards her teacher. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked meekly as she started towards Owen. 

"Long enough to hear that Demona had gotten the better of you," was Owen's answer as they began leaving the room. 

"But no one told me that she was a sorceress," was Lisette's quiet reply as they disappeared from sight. "And she used iron." 

"It matters not," came Owen's clear retort. "You underestimated your opponent and became cocky. It is time for a lesson with Alexander in which you will both learn humility and how to avoid attacks of iron." 

As the voices drifted away, Brooklyn turned to his clan with a skeptical eye. "Are we sure that Puck is the one to be teaching her about humility?" 

"Or any of the third race for that matter?" Lexington added, a small smirk appearing on his green face, having heard stories of Goliath, Angela, and Elisa's encounters with the third race during their World Tour. 

Hiding his own smile and holding back his retort, Goliath quickly nodded towards the door that would lead to the courtyard. "Get going, Lexington, and remember to call if you see anything," Goliath ordered as he turned towards the library -- he had a certain detective to get a hold of. 

* * *

Central Park -- two weeks later 

Sighing softly, Elisa snuggled closer into Goliath's warm embrace that shielded her from the cool October wind. Smiling, she tilted her head back till it rested gently on Goliath's shoulder, watching the bright full moon through the break in the thick trees around them. Even though the clearing had almost been a place of tragedy when Demona had attacked them all those months ago, Elisa and Goliath still traveled there to be alone and take in the night's beauty. Which is exactly what they had been doing for the last hour, sitting side by side with the thick grass cushioning beneath them. "For how long will we guard the museum day and night?" Elisa asked quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. 

"Until we are sure that Demona is no longer after the scrolls," Goliath answered quietly, his eyes closely following the fiery trail of a shooting star. 

Smiling softly, Elisa slowly shook her head as she waved away an insect. "Demona has never struck me as the patient type. I think that if she was still after them she would have struck by now." 

"But is that a chance that you're willing to take?" Goliath questioned as he tore his eyes away from the heavens above and quickly lost himself in the deep, endless sea of brown that composed the warm eyes that he so loved. 

Sighing, Elisa gently reached up and touched Goliath's lavender cheek. "After Hunter's Moon, none of us are willing to take that chance, which is why the clan has been helping so much without complaint... although I believe that there will be mutiny if Lisette is forced to go all day again," Elisa chuckled, a small grin on her face as she leaned once again against the hard planes of Goliath's broad chest. 

Shaking his head, Goliath felt a smile pull at his lips, something that was happening quite often lately. "Either that or Brooklyn will lead the march against me for how little time he gets to spend with Lisette," he chuckled as he pulled Elisa closer to him. 

Relishing in the feelings of comfort and security that Goliath radiated, Elisa nodded knowingly. "But what can we do? The museum must be guarded during the day and with me having to work all night... well, I'm only free to cover four hours or so before my shift starts. That leaves only Lisette to cover the first twelve hours alone." 

Speaking of which, what time will you be relieving her tonight?" Goliath asked as he gently began rubbing his hand down her arm. 

"Hmm," Elisa murmured as her skin tingled beneath his soft touch. "Five o'clock," she sighed as she turned and climbed to her knees before her love. "But we didn't come here this.. morning," she said as she glanced at her watch under the bright moonlight, "to talk business." Smiling, she slowly inched forward till her soft lips brushed Goliath's, her eyes boring into his. "I love you," she murmured.

"Always and forever," Goliath replied in his low bass voice as he finished the distance between them and locked her in a soft kiss that slowly grew more passionate. _Always and forever._

* * *

Sighing, Demona allowed the wind currents to carry her wherever they desired as her troubled thoughts filled her mind. For the last two weeks her life had fallen into a boring routine: Dominique Destine by day, running Nightstone, and gargess by night, sleeping and trying to find a way to end the world as she knew it. Still, in the back of her mind throughout it all, the puzzling question of her feelings for Goliath remained. 

_Do I love him?_ Demona asked herself as the wooded mass of Central Park began drifting slowly below her. She knew that love was blind to thought, common sense, and logic, but still she fought her feelings. _I can't be in love with that fool... can I?_ she asked herself once again as memories of their past flooded her mind. 

"Angel of the Night," Demona murmured sadly as she once more took note of her surroundings. She had come full circle since then, turning from Goliath's angel to the human's demon. By the hundreds of trees below her, it was obvious that she was above Central Park. Suddenly, a flash of red caught her eye through the muted sea of greens and browns. Curious and eager for a distraction from her thoughts, Demona tilted her wings till she was now gliding low over the trees. Suddenly, a clearing appeared below her and Demona felt her eyes widen in first surprise and then anger at what she saw. Biting her lip to prevent her roar of fury, Demona quickly gained some altitude and turned back toward her manor. 

Demona had no fear of being spotted. No, Goliath and the human were too preoccupied to have noticed her presence. Now, Goliath and the human trash would suffer and pay. For what, she would not allow herself to decide, too fearful of her own answer. 

* * *

Pulling back from Goliath slightly, Elisa looked into his onyx eyes. "Did you hear something?" she asked breathlessly, a small frown appearing on her face. 

Goliath pulling her close once again and putting his soft lips to hers was his only response. 

* * *

Destine Manor 

"I hate them! I hate them all!" Demona roared as she stormed into her study. Fury had made her eyes glow a deadly red as she stomped into the room, clearing off a table with one broad swipe of her arm. "They both shall pay for this!" she screamed, all soft thoughts of her ex-mate that had troubled her the last two weeks forgotten. 

Growling, Demona turned round and round as she surveyed the room. Suddenly, her eyes lit upon the pile of scrolls that lay in the corner. "Let's see what I got," she murmured in a deadly voice as she gained a hold of her anger. 

Striding forward on her long legs, Demona snatched the ancient Egyptian scroll from the pile and opened it quickly. Instead of the Latin that she was accustomed to, instead she found strange picture drawings. "Hieroglyphics," she murmured, unconcerned as she walked briskly over to her work table. There, she quickly flipped open an ancient book and turned the aging and brittle pages till she found the marked page she was searching for. 

"The words I see I cannot read so take them away and bring forth the one I deem. English be the spoken word, so bring it forth and let it be heard," Demona chanted as she read from the tome and held the scroll tightly in her hands. The spell was relatively simple and she used it quite often to convert spells that were in languages she was unfamiliar with into something she could read. Smiling evilly, she watched as the magic did its work as the hieroglyphics disappeared to be replaced by English. Eagerly, she read the spell as a strange gleam entered her eyes. "Perfect," she murmured. "Just perfect." The spell was simple and she just needed to wait until the coming dawn and collect a few items from her collection. Then she would be ready to release her wrath. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Unable to suppress his yawn, Goliath climbed onto the parapet on the highest tower of Wyvern. It had been a long night and he looked forward to the peace that stone sleep would bring. He only wished that Elisa could have seen him to sleep. Then again, he understood her wish to sleep seeing as how she had been rising earlier each night to help watch the museum. Smiling softly, Goliath turned to watch as his clan assembled below him, ready to join him in slumber. And with the night he had, he knew that only good dreams would follow. 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

Humming softly to herself, Elisa left the small bathroom in her apartment and padded down the hallway to her large bedroom. Yawning sleepily, she pushed Cagney to the side and crawled beneath her soft comforter, her sheets smooth and cool against her bare legs and thin boxer shorts. 

* * *

Glancing at the rising sun, Demona knew it was time. Smiling eagerly, she quickly scooped up the scroll and placed it on the cleaned table beside a small wooden bowl filled with a dark liquid, sitting within a circle of candles. 

"Dreams which are the windows to the soul," Demona whispered quietly, reading from the scroll as she dropped a single dark brown hair into the concoction, "hold the darkness of a lifetime..." 

* * *

As the sun appeared over the horizon, Goliath settled into his thinker's pose, his limbs turning to stone as sleep claimed him at last. 

* * *

"With the key in the slot the heart is full," Demona continued as she dropped a single long strand of black hair into the bowl, "and must be released from within..." 

* * *

Sighing, Elisa felt her eyes slip shut the moment that her head touched her pillow. With her raven locks fanning out in stark contrast to her white pillow, Elisa slipped into sleep. 

* * *

"Turn the key and allow them to roam free and let the darkness and evil inside," Demona whispered, her voice growing stronger with each word. "Let the dreams go free to ride," she finished with a flourish as the contents of the bowl flashed the color of fire before disappearing. 

If anyone had been watching, they would have seen a similar fire flash around Goliath's stone form and the sleeping one of Elisa. But none saw save Cagney who was incapable of saving her mistress or her mistress's love from the torturous hell that they were about to endure. 

"It's done," Demona murmured, her face expressionless and her body drained. "Goliath and the human will relieve the worst moments of their pitiful lives over and over again until they are slowly driven insane. I have just created their own personal hells for each of them..." Demona murmured slowly before falling to the floor unconscious. 

* * *

The Museum of Natural History 

Sighing softly, Lisette slowly paced around the large room, always keeping the Egyptian scrolls in sight. While she was trying to remain inconspicuous, there were only so many days that one could spend the entire day in the exact same area of the museum without raising curious looks from the guards. And then there was the boredom. 

The first few days had been amazing as Lisette inspected everything that she could while staying within sight of the scrolls at all times. By now, though, two weeks later, Lisette found herself bored out of her mind. Even the book that she had brought did little to alleviate her restlessness -- not to mention her aching body from sitting on the hard benches all day long. 

Overall, she was sure that Goliath had no idea what he was asking of her. Then, when you tied in the fact that no food was allowed in the part of the museum she was in... well, Broadway's large meals that he prepared for her each morning were the only thing that sustained her all day long. In the end, she was just lucky that the museum had a strict policy of if you paid admission and behaved, they could care less about a person's reason for being there, how long they stayed, and how odd they appeared to be. 

"Elisa, you better be here at five on the dot," Lisette murmured under her breath as she ignored a guard's pointed stare and studied an Egyptian mummy for about the hundredth time in the last two weeks. "Or else I shall perish from boredom." 

* * *

Smiling softly, I unwrap the white bandage from my hand and flex it experimentally. Sure enough, the lavender skin is smooth and the wound is healed. Then again, did I honestly expect anything else? Sighing, I hear the Captain of the Princess's guards, my friend, clear his throat to gain my attention. 

"Those Vikings may return at daybreak, Goliath," he says to me, his voice solemn as he stands beside my mate. "I say take all your gargoyles and make sure they're gone!" he cries, his voice briefly masking the loud chirping of the crickets that are out this warm night. 

"I agree," my mate quickly breaks in, her eyes flashing as she shakes her head, her long masses of red hair flaring around her -- only exemplifying her wild beauty. "Let us go out in force and put an end to these pigs once and for all!" she cries. 

Sighing, I turn to regard them both. The Captain stands tall and proud, albeit a bit heavily, a strong sight and a great opponent. My mate.. beautiful as ever, stares at me unwaveringly, the second in command of my clan and my only love. Their advice was something that I always deemed worthy of serious thought. I ponder their words before slowly sighing out my answer. "Hmm... too dangerous. I don't want to leave the castle unprotected," I murmur as I flex my hand once again. 

"Their leader swore he'd be back," the Captain breaks in quickly, his voice urging me to listen to his words. "It's best to harry them for away now and not take that chance," he continues, his thick Scottish brogue masking some of his words. 

Sighing, finally their words do make sense. "Very well," I growl, "but I shall do it," I proclaim, knowing that a strange gleam has entered my eyes. "I can scare these cowards away without any help!" I proclaim with a small laugh, a laugh that would drive fear into any human's heart. 

But not my love. Quickly she steps forward and shakes her wild mane once again. "That's too dangerous for you. Let me come along at least..." 

Turning, I face my love and step closer. "You and the others will stay with the castle," I say in a voice that brooks no argument. She may be my mate, but I am still leader of this clan and my word is stone. But then, seeing her expression of worry, so odd for my fierce and brave mate, I soften. "You are my best warrior," I say as I grab her shoulders, lifting one hand in the air to further add strength to my words. "I leave you in command." 

"No, I cannot let you," she breaks in quickly, shaking her head, her eyes so scared as they stare into my own. Why would she be so frightened for my safety? Why would this concern her so? Ah.. but that just shows how much my mate truly cares for me. 

Gripping her shoulders tighter, I pull my love closer and stare deep into her eyes. "I won't go alone... remember, you and I are one, now and forever," I murmur softly, meaning every word of love that I spoke as I slowly release her and walk away..... 

....Soaring high above the barren and rocky land that marks my homeland, I scan the ground beneath me with a trained eye. Suddenly, down below me and leading into a copse of thick trees I see a trail of horse tracks. "There," I say as I sweep closer and then land, my mentor landing beside me. 

"It's them, right enough," my mentor confirms as he gently fingers the fine tracks left by the horses, his one good eye taking in every detail. "But the tracks are very light for carrying armored men," he adds, a small frown on his face. 

Pausing, I put my hand to my chin and consider my mentor's words briefly. The tracks don't feel right, but then again, I can't pass up such an opportunity. "They're not far ahead," I say as I quickly stand. "Come!" I command as I scamper on all fours into the trees, knowing that my mentor will be right behind me.... 

.....Sighing, my mentor looks at me as we fly between the massive trees, hot on the Vikings' trail. "It's not long until sunrise..." he trails off as he glances up at the sky, barely visible through the thick trees. "Perhaps we should return..." 

Before he even has a chance to finish, I quickly interrupt him as I spot our query below. "There they are!" I cry as I quickly begin a steep dive, roaring out my anger and causing the few humans to run.. the few humans? In confusion, I slowly land on the hard ground and watch in confusion as the wild and frightened horses stampede around my mentor and I. This is not right.. there were hardly any humans... "They were leading the horses to decoy us from the castle!" I cry out, realization flooding me as I turn and begin hurrying through the trees, panic squeezing my heart.... 

....As we exit the trees, I already know that we will never make it in time. Already, I can see the bright sun begin its fiery ascent into the sky. 

"We're too late!" my mentor cries as the stone sleep slowly closes over us both. 

I already know and I growl that awareness to the sky as my skin slowly closes over and turns to stone.... 

....Flying side by side my mentor and I hurry towards our castle, our home. Soon, the castle comes into sight and I breath out one word as all becomes clear: "No..." 

The castle is backlit by red fire with smoke pouring into the dark night sky. All around I see swords, arrows, and battle axes strewn about as the fires burn on, unattended by the castle inhabitants.. there don't seem to be any castle inhabitants. All are slaughtered with their bodies lying around or missing, for the castle is devoid of all life... and the bodies. As we draw closer I see the piles of crumbled stone that mark the perches that my thriving clan once occupied. Here and there a piece of a face, barely recognizable, could be seen -- or an arm, leg, hand.... they were dead. And then, I was landing softly on a familiar perch and staring down in horror at the crumbled stone that marked the death of the one I loved. Shaking my head, I fall to my knees and pick up a handful of the stone. With shaking hands, I then bring it to my chest, my eyes closed. And then, they snap open as I whisper the truth aloud, "My... angel of the night," I gasp as the pain burns me deeper than anything I ever before knew. I want to scream how impossible that is, that she couldn't be dead for I just sat with her the night before.. just looked into her beautiful and loving eyes as I reminded her of my love and my vow to her... she can't be gone. Not my angel of the night.. not her... And then, I'm dropping the stone as I turn my head to the side, the pain too much to bear, too much to hold in. And then I **CAN'T** hold in the pain and grief as one sob escapes my lips before I quickly stand and lift my fists up to the sky, my wings flared around me and roar my agony and hurt, the unfairness of life, to the unforgiving sky before collapsing back to my knees. 

"Why didn't ye just take the clan with ye, lad?" a sad and heartbroken voice breaks in on my muddled thoughts from behind me. 

With teary eyes, I slowly turn and regard my mentor. The old warrior is nearly broken by grief as he surveys the ruins of my clan.. of his clan.. of **OUR** clan. They are all dead. 

"Why didn't ye just take the clan with ye like the lass asked?" he repeats as he falls weakly to his knees, a single tear coming to his dark eyes as they stare at me in accusation. 

Hearing his words, I feel my heart shatter even further. Why **DIDN'T** I take them with me? Both the Captain and.. my Angel had asked me to.. had **ADVISED** me to take the clan with... why didn't I listen? Oh God, if only I had listened then they would still be alive. All of them would be alive... my Angel of the Night would still be alive and in my arms right now. "Oh God," I moan, my eyes snapping shut as I feel the world fall away. "Oh God, no!" I sob, the tears burning my eyes as I realize the truth. I killed my clan. "**_NOOO!_**" 

And then, the voices of my clan fill the night air around me. "Goliath!" they call, their voices filled with pain and accusation. "Why didn't you take us Goliath?!" 

And then, the Captain of the guard is standing before me, his eyes burning with hatred. "Ye killed your clan! Why didn't ye listen to us?" he asks, pity showing on his old face... pity and anger. 

"I'm so sorry," I moan, my eyes squeezing shut as I try to block out their accusations and their pointed questions. 

"Goliath..." a soft voice whispers, interrupting my tortured agony. 

Gasping, I quickly open my eyes and stare in horror at the one who stands before me. Even now her wild beauty shines through as she seems to float in the air before me. Her wild and tangled red hair rustles in an unfelt breeze as the tears drip down her pale face. "Oh God, please not you too!" I moan, my heart begging for relief from my pain. 

"Goliath... why didn't you take us away like I had asked you to?" she whispers, her voice like bells on the wind, every bit as angelic as her name. 

"I'm so sorry," I moan, my heart shattering to fragments so small that never again will they be pieced together. 

"I loved you, Goliath... and you killed me.. you killed us all," she whispers before slowly fading away. 

"**_NOOO!!_**" I scream, the tears no longer trailing but pouring down my lavender cheeks unchecked. "My Angel, come back!" I plead to the heavens above as even my mentor disappears from around me. "Please come back!" I whisper, my hard exterior shattered and broken. "Please don't leave me... I'm so sorry...." 

* * *

Smiling softly, I gently run the brush through the fine golden curls before me. Even as the brush pulls the soft hair straight, the moment it's free, the golden locks, the color of sunshine, bounce right back up into its springy curl. 

"Are you making me pretty, Mommy?" the little girl asks as she turns away from the yellow tulip she had been playing with and regards me with shining blue eyes. 

"Oh, Hope, with your father's hair and eyes, I couldn't dream of making you anymore beautiful than you already are," I sigh with a bright smile as my daughter turns back to playing with the flower, apparently satisfied with my heartfelt answer. Shaking my head, I tilt my face up till the bright sun warms my dark face and radiates off of my silky raven locks. Unable to stop my smile from growing, I gently smooth out my soft satin blue veily skirt and halter top as I stand and move across the smooth stone till I'm kneeling before my beloved daughter, setting the brush to the side. 

I have to be the luckiest woman in the world. The people of Earth are finally at peace under Caleb and my combined rule with only a few small factions upset with their immortal king and queen. To top it off, Titania and Oberon had recently come together and moved the troublesome and tricky second race of fae, their protectorate, to the enchanted isle of Avalon that had been created by the four protectors, leaving our people with an even greater sense of peace. And then, as if to award us for our hard work, the Creator blessed Caleb and I with a child... Hope. And hope she is, to the people and to myself. The tiny child, born four hundred years ago to us, seems to age one year both physically and mentally for each one hundred years that passes. 

At first, Caleb and I had been worried sick over this fact, but by now, we have come to accept it. After all, we're still unsure as to whether or not our child shares our immortality or not, and until the question is answered, we plan on spending every second possible with our cherished daughter. 

And with the beautiful flowers of the garden surrounding us and my angel dressed in a simple white summer dress, Hope truly is beautiful. While it is true that my daughter has her father's coloring, her chubby child's body has the shape and form of my own. 

"Where's Daddy?" Hope asks suddenly, her voice petulant as she looks at me with her large blue eyes, so shaped like my own. 

"He's helping some people solve their problems. Don't you remember, sweetie?" I ask softly as she gently picks up a bright red rose and sniffs the satin petals. 

"How come you're not helping?" Hope asks, showing the insatiable curiosity that only children her age possess. 

"Because it's Daddy's turn to help and my turn to play with you!" I reply as I surge forward and begin tickling my daughter. Laughing and giggling, as mother and daughter, we tumble back onto the stone path as the tickling continues. Laughing so hard that tears are streaming out of my brown eyes, I listen to my daughter's girlish squeals of protest for a few seconds longer until I halt the assault and draw my giggling girl into my arms. "I love you, my child," I whisper, the love shining in my eyes. 

"I love you too, Mommy," Hope whispers as she nestles up against my soft skin. 

Suddenly, a soft cry breaks the quiet peacefulness of the gardens. Startled and instantly alert, I slowly stand and gently place my daughter on the hard stone walkway. "Hope, stay here for a moment and wait quietly while Mommy checks something out," I whisper quietly to my daughter who looks up at me with large, frightened eyes. Seeing my daughter's fear, I feel a moment of indecision that is quickly pushed aside -- Hope will be the safest right where she is. 

Turning, I then slowly move down the path in the direction of the cry, turning back often to assure myself of my daughter's safety. Then, I reach a dead end where I am faced with the choice of turning left or right. Undecided, I once more turn back to my daughter... and scream in horror at what I see. 

"No! Hope!!" I scream as a single human male steps before my tiny and frightened child and thrusts an eight inch long blade to the hilt in her small chest. "**NO!!!**" I scream again as I bring my hands before me and shoot a powerful burst of energy at the strange man, killing him instantly. 

And then I am beside my baby where she had fallen to the white stone. Already, the stone and her white dress are stained a bright red. "Hope," I sob as I lift my daughter's limp body into my arms, staring into her unseeing blue eyes. My daughter is dead. 

Screaming out once more, I reach down and pull the jagged knife from my daughter's chest and throw it into the roses. Then, I reach down gently and close my daughter's blue eyes for the last time, my own hands smearing Hope's blood across her pale face till it looks as though she is crying red tears of blood. 

Sobbing, I bury my head into my baby's chest and gently tousle her blond curls. With Hope dead, all hope for the future is dead as well. The bastard had stabbed my baby in the heart, killing my child instantly. All questions of her mortality had been answered in that instant, and I wished more than anything that I could go back and do it again, take my baby with me when I investigated the noise that was no doubt made by the man himself. My one moment of poor judgment and inattention had cost my beloved Hope her life. 

It's my fault, my fault that my baby is dead. And then, a high pitch wail fills the gardens. Mutely, I realize that it is me that I hear, sobbing and wailing my grief to the world. I never should have left Hope's side. If only I had thought... if only I had thought my daughter -- my baby -- would still be alive right now. 

Suddenly, a strangled cry fills the garden. Stunned out of my sobbing and wailing, I jerk my head up and meet the grief stricken eyes of my beloved husband. 

"Oh God, Hope!" Caleb cries out, his voice cracking as he stumbles over to his daughter and I, his arms wrapping around me. "Oh my God, what did you do to Hope?!" he cries out as he turns me forcibly till I am facing him. 

"What?" I gasp, feeling as though my heart had been shattered for a second time and as if the blade had been stabbed through my own heart as my love's handsome features twist into a mask of anger. I had blamed myself for my daughter's death, but I had never, never except for in my worst nightmares, imagined that Caleb would do the same. 

"What have you done to our daughter?!" Caleb roars as he takes Hope's lifeless body from me and backs away. "This is all your fault!!" 

"Caleb, I..." I cry out, the tears streaming down my face. 

"This is all your fault," Caleb repeats, his blue eyes ice cold and hard. "Hope is dead because of you!" 

Crying out, I stumble to the ground on my knees and lift my hands to my ears, quickly shaking it from side to side as the emotions overwhelm me. 

Suddenly, Hope stands before me, her small face expressionless and her large blue eyes empty. "You killed me Mommy," she whispers, her small child's voice breaking my heart even further as the red blossoms over her chest and as a trail of red blood drips from her small lips. "It's all your fault!" 

"No," I whimper, an agonized wail building from within me. "**_NO!!!_**" 

* * *

The Museum of Natural History 

Slowly, the feelings of annoyance for her detective friend were turning to worry. Elisa was supposed to have relieved Lisette from her post over two hours ago, and so far, there was no word from her and no one was answering at Elisa's apartment. 

"Ah zut," Lisette whispered as she once more glanced at the simple but elegant silver watch that was clasped on her small wrist. "Where are you mon amie?" Lisette murmured quietly, the temptation to transport to her apartment almost unbearably strong. Still, she knew that she couldn't abandon her post. Even if Demona never returned for the scrolls and all was in vain, Goliath, her leader, had ordered her to stay at her post until relieved and so she would. 

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, reminding her and all the other patrons milling nearby that it had been thirteen to fourteen hours since the last time she had eaten. Groaning, she fought the sleep that was threatening her as she realized she had been up for the last eighteen hours as well and still had another two hours to go until sunset and her gargoyle relief. To make matters worse, Matt, Xanatos, and Fox were all out of town and Owen wasn't answering his cell phone. In essence, Lisette was all alone, cut off from her friends and wondering what was going on. "Elisa, mon amie, where are you?" 

* * *

Sighing, I cape my massive lavender wings around my broad shoulders as I wait patiently on the narrow dam, with pounding water on one side as it cascades over the dam and water as smooth as glass on the other. Anytime now.. anytime now. 

Then, as if reading my mind, a large aircraft, the one from before, suddenly appears from out of the calm glass of water like an angry beast. Turning, I face it head on as anger marks my features. As it hovers there, a panel then slides open from beneath as three small crafts, black and red with fire shooting out of the tales, fly from the monster aircraft. Instantly, they fly into the dark night sky and begin shooting white fire at me. The Hunters had finally emerged and were about to receive my anger for destroying my home and for attacking my daughter. I had almost lost her because of them, and now they would pay. 

Knowing that I am an easy target on the bridge, I quickly dodge the bullets and dive off into the dark night sky. The game is now afoot. Turning, I grab a piece of metal and tear the bar from the dam. In one quick moment, I then launch the projectile at the flying machine that is hot on my tail. Smiling in grim satisfaction, I watch as the spear goes through the windshield of the machine, causing it to crash on the top of the bridge, the Hunter, unfortunately, falling to safety. 

And then I am diving and swooping again, avoiding the onslaught of the other two as they follow my every move. Suddenly, I hear a crash resound in the night air from behind me. Turning quickly, I watch with shielded amusement as Broadway pounds into the female Hunter's machine, the missile that she had launched at me missing me easily. As Broadway wings up to my side, I quickly look at my clan member with a frown. "I ordered the clan to stay behind," I said, my voice deep and filling the night sky. 

At this, Broadway's ever-present grin only widened. "The clan did stay behind," he replies with a smile, "but Elisa needed a lift." 

Shaking my head, I can't help the smile that breaks my own grim countenance. Suddenly, a beam of white fire passes between the short space that is between us, causing us to dive to the sides in surprise. Knowing that the time for talk is over, I quickly pull some sharp moves and angle back up towards the top of the dam, the leader of the Hunter right on my tail with a plan already forming in my mind. 

As soon as I reach the top, I quickly land on the hard pavement and hide behind a section of concrete and wait. Then, as the Hunter tries to roar by, unaware of my position, I lash out with my massive tail, catching the Hunter across the chest and sending him falling onto the outside ledge of the dam. 

Quickly I advance on the man as I hear the other winged craft land behind me. Lost in my rage, though, I could care less as I grab the man by the front of his battle armor and lift him a good two feet into the air, suspended over the crashing water below. Growling, I switch my hold till I am holding the Hunter with one hand and turn back to glare at the female Hunter with glowing eyes. 

"Stay back!" I command as I turn back to my query, only to find the man throwing a strange round device at me. As I gasp in surprise, the object bounces once off of my chest before six wires burst out of the sides and wrap around my torso. A second later, they light with hot white electricity, causing me to drop the man on the ledge as I roar in agony. 

As I tumble to the ground, the device falls to the cement, and a second later I am on my feet once again. Now, though, Elisa, my love herself, jumps between us with a panicked look as she puts one hand to me and one to Jason, the Hunter, her back to him. 

"Stop it, please! Both of you!!" she pleads, her eyes large as her long raven locks blow in the wind. 

"Not while they live!" Jason roars back as he shoves Elisa out of the way, almost sending her over the dam in the process. But neither of us notice this, Jason too consumed with his fury while mine only builds as memories of the kiss I had witnessed between the two surfaces. Now, jealousy as well as hatred brims within me. 

And then, as a long blade slides out of a slot in the Hunter's wrist and as he darts forward to impale me upon the deadly steel, I pull back my fists and then hit the man powerfully. Then, in slow motion I watch as the Hunter flies back towards the edge of the dam... and my beloved Elisa as well, who was running forward once again in hopes of stopping the madness. 

As Jason's body connects with Elisa's, the two tumble back together and over the dam. Even as I am running frantically forward and diving after her over the ledge, I can hear my anguished scream join the others. "NO!" I roar as I dive over, barely hearing Broadway's cry of "Elisa!" and one of the Hunter's cries of "Jason!" 

And then I am over the ledge and diving, my eyes locking on Elisa's dropping form, her cry cutting into my heart. As I draw closer, I reach out desperately for her flailing hand as her large brown eyes lock with my own. 

"What have you done?!" she cries out as her body is lost in the roaring water, disappearing before my very eyes. 

And then I'm pulling back up, an anguished cry coming straight from my heart as I realize that I had just destroyed Elisa Maza. Even though we had yet to admit it, I know that I have just killed the one that I love more than I have ever loved another. I have just killed the one who had loved me and trusted me with her life. I killed Elisa. 

Quickly, I continue my dive until I too am hidden beneath the pounding water, my body bruised and beaten as I search desperately for the one I had lost. When there is no more breath to be found in my body, I reluctantly surface and face the desolate sky. Gasping for her, I turn in circles as the water shoves me past. "**ELISA!!**" I roar, only to be echoed by her sweet voice. 

"What have you done? You've killed me, Goliath! I trusted you and you've killed me!" 

And then her cry is joined by the clan:  
"You killed her!"  
"All your fault!"  
"Elisa!!"  
"Father, she's dead!"  
"You've killed her!" 

"No..." I whimper as the voices surround me and tear at my mind. "NO!! _ELISA!!!_" 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Slowly the sun glided along its timeless path until it finally disappeared over the horizon, never knowing what its simple act meant to some of the Earth's inhabitants -- and even the majority of that class didn't know. But as if it had been rehearsed for some well designed play, the six gargoyle statues on the lower battlements that curved around the highest tower of Castle Wyvern began cracking as one. And then, as an eerie white light filtered between the numerous cracks, the six stone statues burst into life as sharp stone shards went flying in all directions. 

Yawning, Angela stretched her massive wings out as she tilted her head back so that she could greet her father who always towered above them... and froze in shock. Like always, Goliath still towered above them, but this time, his towering frame was still frozen in stone. "Father!" Angela screamed in horror as she threw herself at the tower and began frantically scaling the wall, her talons piercing the hard stone. 

Alerted and startled by her screams, the rest of the clan quickly turned and followed her movements to the top of the tower where Goliath's stone form rested in his thinking pose. As one, the gargoyles quickly rushed to the top of the tower, some by following Angela up the wall while others took to the air. In the end, they all reached their goal at much the same time. Startled, they found Owen already at the top, staring at Goliath's stone form in puzzlement. 

Ignoring Owen's presence, Angela rushed up to her father and gently ran a talon over his frozen visage. "Hudson, why didn't Father awaken?" Angela asked slowly, a tremor in her voice. 

"I don't know, lass," Hudson answered as he gently rubbed his chin, his good eye taking in every detail of the statue. It was very rare to see one of his own kind cloaked in stone.. and very bad as well, for that usually only happened when a gargoyle passed into death. He could only hope that this wasn't the case. "Perhaps th' lad would know?" he asked, nodding towards the manservant. 

"Yeah, what were you doing up here?" Broadway asked gruffly as he eyed the man wearily, stepping forward to rest a gentle hand on his love's shoulder, hating to see her in pain. 

"I came up here to inform Goliath that Mr. Xanatos and family would be out of town for the next few days and found him in this condition," Owen said quietly, indicating Goliath's stone form. 

"Do you think it could be magic?" Angela asked, the fear shining through her eyes. 

"Or maybe that's a fake statue and the real Goliath was taken somewhere like Xanatos did once with Hudson," Lexington suggested, his eyes growing wide. 

"I can assure you that no one has been near the castle all day," Owen quickly interrupted. "Security would have notified me..." 

"And how do we know that you're not lying and that Xanatos is really behind this?" Broadway interrupted, his eyes glowing white as he smashed a fist into his large blue hand for emphasis. 

By this time you could see not only Owen's exasperation, but his annoyance as well. "I already told you that Mr. Xanatos was out of town." 

"A likely and convenient story..." Broadway broke in before Brooklyn's booming voice broke in above the others. 

"**ENOUGH!!**" Brooklyn roared, his eyes blazing white as all eyes quickly turned to him. "Until we wake up Goliath, I'm in charge and I'm saying right now that arguing over this isn't going to help him." 

"But Xanatos..." 

"I don't think he's the cause of this, Broadway," Brooklyn quickly interrupted, his voice more subdued. "We're allies now, remember? He had no reason to take Goliath or put up this facade." 

"Then what..." Lexington began to ask as a sudden beeping filled the quiet night. Confused, Lex quickly reached into the bag that was attached to his belt and withdrew a tiny cellular phone that Xanatos had given the clan. Snapping it open he quickly held it to his ear. "Hello?" he asked. 

Instantly Lisette's voice filtered through the phone and into the night air. "Where are you guys? No, wait. More importantly, where is Elisa?!" 

The moment Brooklyn heard Lisette's voice, he quickly started towards the phone and accepted it from his rookery brother. "Lisette, where are you?" he asked quickly. 

"Brooklyn?" Lisette's voice filtered through, obviously surprised by the sudden change in speaker. "Ummm, I am at a pay phone outside of the museum which just closed..." 

Surprised at her answer, Brooklyn quickly shook his head. "What are you still doing there?" 

"Waiting for someone to get over here and relieve me before I collapse due to hunger and exhaustion," was her annoyed reply. 

"But I thought Elisa was..." Brooklyn trailed off as his eyes rested on Goliath's stone form. "Never mind. We have more important things to worry about," Brooklyn murmured quietly. "Lisette, I needed you here five minutes ago." 

"Excuse me?" was the baffled reply. 

Sighing, Brooklyn quickly shook his head. "I need you to get to the castle as fast as you can," he rephrased. 

"But Goliath told me to..." 

"Lisette," Brooklyn gently interrupted as he looked once more at Goliath's frozen form, "Goliath's a stone statue right now. He's not exactly in a place to argue." Silence was his only answer. "Lisette?" he asked as a sudden flash of green light appeared before the clan. When it disappeared, Lisette stood in her human form, looking different in a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved white Nike shirt, and large, dark circles lining her blue eyes. "Wow, that was quick," Brooklyn murmured as Lisette stepped up to Goliath's side. 

"What has happened?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the hard planes of the granite form. 

"I don't know," Brooklyn answered truthfully as he stepped up to Lisette's side, snapping the phone shut and handing it back to Lexington. 

"Aye, we don't even know if it be Goliath that be sittin' before us," Hudson added grimly as Lisette gently placed her small hand on the statue. 

"No, Goliath is definitely in here," Lisette murmured, a soft green glow encompassing her hand. 

"Lisette!" Owen's voice broke in sharply. 

Surprised at her teacher's angry tone, Lisette spun away quickly and turned her wide blue eyes to Owen. "What is wrong?" she gasped, worry entering her voice. 

"Have I not taught you to never mix magics?" was his reply as a tight frown covered his face. "What has been with you lately? Even Alexander has been listening better than you!" 

Shocked and turning red from Owen's dressing down, Lisette fought the tears that pooled in her large blue eyes. She would not give Owen the satisfaction of seeing how his words hurt her. Also, even though it killed her not to do so, Lisette would not speak up against the manservant and explain that she knew better than to do such a thing and that she was merely trying to figure out what had happened. No, Owen was testing her. Because of her past and the incident with Demona two weeks ago, she knew that Owen believed her greatest weakness was her pride. She would prove him wrong. 

Surprised himself at Owen's words, Brooklyn watched as Lisette visibly struggled with herself before closing up, her face like a mask that hid her true emotions. Shaking his head, Brooklyn slowly stepped beside his love. Lisette was a person who was led by her emotions, which was one of the things that he loved most about her, allowing her to care for others so much. On the other hand, Brooklyn knew that Owen was trying to break her of that and was trying to get her to act with an emotional unattachment. It looked as though he needed to have a small talk with Owen later. 

"What did you mean about mixing magic?" Lexington asked slowly, missing the conversation and the tension that was felt around him. 

"Does that mean that Father is under a spell?" Angela asked quickly, her eyes darting back and forth between Owen and Lisette. 

Tearing her eyes away from the cold eyes of her teacher, Lisette turned to regard Goliath's stone form. "Yes. From what I could sense, he seems to be under a mortal's spell and is dreaming," she murmured, deciding not to mention the intense sense of anguish that his stone form radiated. 

"Well, what do we do?" Broadway asked as he wrapped his large blue arm comfortingly around Angela's shoulder. 

"I can do nothing beside get Elisa," Lisette immediately replied as she turned to Brooklyn, knowing that the decision now rested with him. "Owen was right by saying that I cannot mix my magic with that surrounding Goliath," she murmured as she pointedly ignored the urge to glance at the manservant. "Especially when I do not know what spell has been cast." 

"And you think Elisa will?" Brooklyn asked quickly. 

At this, Lisette frowned softly. "I cannot say for sure, but with her powers as Talika... well, she would be better able to help than Puck or I." 

"Okay, then where do we find her at?" Broadway asked eagerly. "She should be at work, right?" 

At his question, Lisette's frown only deepened. "Elisa was supposed to relieve me from my watch this afternoon at five... but she did not show," she murmured, her eyes troubled. "She does not answer her telephone and Matt is out of town." 

"That does not sound like Elisa -- to not show up when promised," Angela whispered, her own frown growing. 

"Well, talking about it isn't helping Goliath any," Brooklyn broke in sharply as he took control of the situation. 

"Broadway, Lex, I want you both to go to the museum and keep an eye out for Demona -- we can't forget our duty," Brooklyn ordered quickly, ready to do something, anything. "Lisette, can you take us to Elisa's apartment?" he asked as he turned to his love, knowing that she could provide the fastest form of transportation when time could be of the essence. "We'll start and work from there." 

"Of course," Lisette agreed as Broadway and Lexington dove off of the parapets, reluctantly leaving their leader's side. 

"Angela, Hudson, I want you both to stay here and guard Goliath with Bronx!" Brooklyn called out quickly as he hurriedly stepped to Lisette's side. Nodding his ready, he then watched as Lisette raised her arms above her head, causing them to disappear in a flash of green light. 

"Tis no less impressive," Hudson said thoughtfully as they were left in silence once again, "when th' lass be in her fine dresses or else in th' other stuff." 

At Hudson's words, Angela managed the briefest of smiles as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Goliath's stone form, paying no heed to the rough granite. "I love you, Father," she whispered as a single tear trailed down her cheek and dropped onto Goliath's stone cheek, painting the stone a darker shade of gray as it seemed that the tear was Goliath's tear itself. 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

As the green light disappeared from around them, Brooklyn and Lisette found themselves in Elisa's unoccupied and darkened living room. "Looks like no one's home," Brooklyn muttered as he stepped up to the door to the apartment and he flicked on the light switch... and felt his eyes lock on the golden chain which was still drawn on the door. The chain could only be applied from the inside, which meant that... 

"Elisa?" Lisette quickly called out, having come to the same conclusion after following Brooklyn's fixed gaze: Elisa must still be in the apartment. "Elisa!" she called out again as she hurried down the short hallway and burst into the dark bedroom, instantly releasing a gray furball that zipped into the open rooms beyond. "Elisa?" she asked again as she flipped on the lights, squinting under the sudden onrush of light. When her vision cleared, her eyes instantly alighted upon the form cowering under the heavy comforter. "Elisa?" she asked again, her voice hesitant now as she stepped forward and knelt on the carpet before her friend. What she saw shocked her to the core. 

It appeared that Elisa was in a very deep sleep. So deep, in fact, that Lisette knew that all of the shaking, cold water, shouted words, and hard slaps in the world would do nothing to awaken her. Then, when you added in the fact that she could sense the strange magic that enveloped her friend... well, it wasn't good. Still, the fact that worried her most was the intense and similar feelings of profound anguish that she had felt from Goliath. Inherently, she knew that had her leader not been encased in stone, he too would be acting as Elisa. 

"What's wrong with Elisa?" Brooklyn asked as he quietly stepped behind Lisette. 

"She is under the same spell as Goliath," Lisette whispered as she gently reached forward and brushed a sweaty strand of pure black hair away from Elisa's strained face. Even as she did this, Elisa tossed and turned back and forth, a small cry slipping from her lips. 

"From their link?" Brooklyn asked, wincing as the proud Elisa moaned and cowered beneath her covers, a broken and battered figure. 

Shaking her head slightly, Lisette slowly stood once again. "I cannot say for sure, but from what I have heard of the link that was formed between them, they feel and experience things from one another to a lesser degree. On the other hand, I feel the magic of this spell equally as strong between them both." 

Sighing, Brooklyn reached down and gently gathered Elisa's small form in his arms, wrapped tightly in her soft comforter. "Come on, let's get her back to the castle." 

Nodding slowly, Lisette joined Brooklyn in the center of Elisa's bedroom. As she raised her hands above her head, though, Elisa's quiet words made her freeze. 

"No..." Elisa murmured in her sleep. "Caleb... Hope..." 

Surprised, Brooklyn jerked his head up and met Lisette's wide blue eyes. "Caleb? And wasn't Hope..." 

"Her daughter?" Lisette questioned. Shaking her head, she once more raised her arms above her head. "I wonder what she is dreaming?" Lisette murmured as they disappeared in a flash of green light. 

* * *

As the green mist slowly dissipates from around me, I stand tall beside my two friends, protectors of the second race. Titania, as proud and regal as ever in her billowing clothes of satin steps away from her beloved husband and regards the dank cave that we now occupy. With somber eyes, she turns away from Oberon and looks at me in pity. "Caleb is here, Talika," she murmurs quietly as she sashays forward and places a comforting hand on my bare shoulder. 

"Hope has been dead for less than a month," Oberon adds, his words as blunt as always. Yet, for once the mighty Lord Oberon, as he now prefers to be called, wore a look of sympathy and sadness. 

Still, the grief and horror that had marked me at my baby's brutal murder was as fresh as ever. Four hundred years was far too short of a time to spend with your child, especially when you have a life span as long as mine. Caleb used to joke that I was older than the very dirt itself... Caleb. Silent tears streak down my face as I think of my beloved husband -- the man that I have always loved. At first, Caleb and I had tried dealing with our enormous grief, but as my anger turned towards myself, my love's anger turned towards those we protected. Caleb blamed the entire human race for a horrid mistake that one man had made -- and already paid for with his life. 

"Talika, my friend," Titania whispers as she breaks me from my thoughts, taking in my haggard appearance. I certainly didn't look like Queen of the first race right then. "Are you sure you want to do this now? You're weak and haven't even had time to grieve for your child yet." 

"I am no weaker than Caleb," I respond, my tired eyes flashing green -- in pain and anger. At first, when my love had left my side to start administering his 'justice' to our people, using his full powers without prejudice or discrimination, I had hid alone in our chambers, ignoring their cries for help and pleas for mercy. I hid alone and cried for my beloved Hope, who I had loved more than life itself. And then I cried for my husband, my lifelong partner and the man that I loved above all others, who was surely destroying his own soul with his actions. 

By the time I had finally emerged from my room, a few days had passed and thousands were dead by my husband's hand.. by their king and protector. I could ignore the cries of my people no longer. And so I rose to the sky and battled the one I love. With our powers being equal, it would have been a useless fight... if it were not for Caleb's shock and refusal to hurt his queen that is. During the last battle, I had left my beloved drained and weakened and had used that opportunity to seek help from my friends. Now, it was time to end it. "Besides," I continue, trying to mask my pain, "if we wait, there will be no one left to protect." 

"Well then," Oberon says quickly, his blue face paling slightly at my words, "let us end this." 

Sighing, I know that my fellow protectors cannot possibly fully understand what is happening. They have never had a child together, and after Hope's death, I doubt they ever will. Still, I cannot do this without their help. Suddenly, a slight movement causes us to turn and watch as Caleb walks slowly into the room, his blue eyes locked on mine... so much like my baby's eyes. 

"What are you doing here, my Dark Angel?" Caleb asks slowly as he circles around my weary body. 

"Caleb, this must stop!" I plead, tears once more pooling in my brown eyes. Deep inside, I realize that I still have hope of reaching the goodness inside of my husband that I know is there. "The humans are not to blame for what happened to our daughter..." 

"Of course they're not," Caleb agrees quickly, causing my heart to soar. "You are," he finishes, causing my heart to plummet just as quickly. 

"What?" I gasp as I stare in shock at my beloved. This was not the way that it was supposed to go. 

"You should have taken Hope with you," Titania murmurs as I turn to regard her with wide eyes. 

"She was a defenseless child. Why did you leave her unattended?" Oberon asks, his expression haughty as his glowing green eyes bore into my own. 

"I..." I sputter as my two friends and love form a tight circle around me. 

"And why did you come here now?" Caleb continues, his voice devoid of all compassion. 

"To stop you from hurting the first race..." 

"So, first you destroy our daughter and then you come to put your husband, the man you should love, into a painful and dark sleep with this?" Caleb asks, his blue eyes turning stormy as he withdraws a black angel from behind his back -- an angel of dark matter that Oberon and Titania had shaped for me. 

Instantly, a scream of pain escapes my lips as I tumble to the ground, the rough stone biting through the thin satin and scraping my legs. Still, the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. What **_was_** I doing? I had killed my daughter, and now I was trying to do the same to my husband in a way that he would find no peace or release. "Oh God," I whisper, my voice choked with pain. 

"You killed your own daughter!" Titania accuses, her eyes filling with hatred and tears. 

"You were going to destroy your husband," Oberon growls, "the one whom you should love most of all!" 

"Mommy, why wouldn't you help me?" Hope sobs as she appears before me, her golden curls now limp and her eyes dead as blood red tears drip down her cheeks to join that which already stains her white sundress. 

"I loved you..." Caleb trails off sadly as a scream erupts and quickly fills the cavern.

Oddly, it takes me a moment to realize that it's mine. "**_NOOOO_!!**" I scream as I curl up into a ball in the middle of the cold stone floor. "No," I whimper again as the voices surround me and fill my head, their accusing words all that I hear.

* * *

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly strode forward, Angela and Hudson parting to the side, and stepped beside his frozen leader. Without a word, he placed Elisa's slight form on the stone floor, still wrapped tightly in her blankets. 

"Elisa?" Angela asked tentatively as she stepped forward and gently placed a cool lavender hand on the woman's sweaty forehead. 

"I'm sorry, Angela," Lisette said quietly as she knelt beside the gargess. Reaching forward, she gently took one of Elisa's hands in hers. Numbly, Lisette realized that they both loved the woman differently than the others. Angela and Lisette both loved, respected, and looked up to the detective. To Angela, Elisa was a surrogate mother of sorts, while to Lisette she was both her mentor and like an older sister. Overall, to see Elisa in this condition was a large blow to them both. "I'm sorry," she repeated as she gently released Elisa's hand and placed her own on Angela's shoulder, "but she is under the same spell as Goliath." 

Instead of the sadness that she had been expecting, Angela instead radiated a blinding anger. "Who would do this? Who would do such a thing to my parents?!" Angela roared as she backed away quickly, her eyes finally clouding over with tears. At the first soft body she encountered, Angela quickly turned around and buried her tear streaked face in his chest, sobs wracking her body. 

Sighing, Lisette slowly climbed to her feet and shared a look of understanding with Brooklyn as he tried his best to comfort his clan sister who clung to him with an iron grip. Turning, she started moving and then stumbled as her strength temporarily fled her weary limbs. If it wasn't for Owen who was instantly by her side, a nasty fall would have followed. "Oh, thank you," Lisette murmured as she regained her balance and smiled weakly at her teacher. 

To her great surprise, though, instead of the noncommittal look that Owen usually had, the manservant and trickster in disguise now wore a concerned frown. "When is the last time you have eaten? Or slept for that matter?" Owen asked quietly, his worried questions meant only for her own ears. 

"Does it matter in comparison to our other problems?" Lisette asked, her finely shaped eyebrow rising slightly as she waved at Goliath and Elisa's prone forms. 

"Yes, it does," Owen answered firmly as he grabbed her arm and began steering her towards the stairwell. "Without food or sleep your body has become weak. You will be of no use to us in this condition." 

At Owen's words, albeit said in a clinical and cold manner, Lisette felt her heart warm. _So, the ice man did care after all_ she thought to herself quietly. But then, Owen's last few words registered in her mind. _Or not_. Sighing, Lisette twisted out of Owen's grip and shuffled back onto the tower. "Je vais dormir quand je meurs. I'll sleep when I'm dead," she retorted quickly, reverting back to the excuse that Craigen had always given her at her pestering and quickly translating the words. 

"And you will eat then as well?" Owen replied evenly, his voice kept low, still trying to keep their conversation from the others' ears. 

To that, Lisette had no come back. Shaking her head, she quickly switched tracks. "I cannot help them anyway," Lisette murmured, her eyes locking on Elisa's pale features, hating her feeling of helplessness more than anything else she could imagine -- she had been helpless one other time before, and she would **_not_** be in that spot again. "Can I?" 

Sighing, Owen slowly shook his head. "You should never mix magic," Owen admitted, "and without the counter spell or even knowing the terms..." 

"If only Elisa was not affected," Lisette sighed, interrupting his words. 

Nodding slowly, Owen couldn't help wishing the same thing. After all, despite being a member of the third race, there was nothing within his power that he could do. And even if there was something, he would have to wait till the Xanatos family returned with Alexander before he could emerge from his mortal shell -- perhaps too late. And even though Lisette did have a magical prowess that rivaled his own, she still didn't have the proper training to access it completely and use it properly. Even if she did, once more he knew of no way to beat the spell without first knowing what the spell was. On the other hand, Detective Maza, being Talika the immortal protector, gave her an advantage over them. If anyone would know what to do, she would be the person. Sighing, Owen slowly shook his head and met Lisette's tired eyes. Instantly, a pang of worry filtered through him. Somehow, the young woman had managed to find a way into his heart. Then again, after prompting Lord Oberon's wrath once already because of other mortals and his affection for them, he refused to allow anyone else in. That alone was the reason for Owen's coldness and why he had been so hard on the young woman as of late. "Yes, Detective Maza's aid would be helpful," Owen finally admitted as he turned his gaze to the unconscious woman. "But there is no way to un-cast the spell..." he trailed off as a sudden light entered his student's eyes. 

"Maybe not," Lisette conceded as she frowned thoughtfully, "but why can't I transfer the spell from Goliath and Elisa to myself?" 

At her question, Owen's eyes quickly narrowed. "And how would you propose to do that?" he asked, his voice sharper than he had intended. "I haven't taught you anything..." 

Completely missing the urgency in Owen's words, Lisette slowly shook her head as her mind drifted back to the battle against Caleb. "Elisa, or rather Talika, taught me a spell that would take the pain of another and transfer it to me..." Lisette murmured as she tried to remember the words to the spell. "Perhaps it will work for this as well if I change the words a little..." 

"No," was Owen's firm reply as his mind began to spin. "It's not possible," he stated, unsure if his words were accurate. After all, anything was possible when it came to magic, and even though he did believe that the only chance of breaking the spell completely did rest with the Detective, he was unwilling to risk his student for that chance. 

Surprised at his answer, Lisette quickly shook her head as she turned her bright blue eyes on her teacher. "But is it not worth that chance?" 

"No, it's not," Owen replied as Lisette began moving towards the parapet. Sighing, he knew that she would not listen to him and that he had to protect Lisette from what she was about to do. But he also knew that words would be ineffectual. With that and magic out of the question, that left only the physical approach. "Please forgive me," he murmured under his breath as he lifted his arm up and brought it down sharply and quickly, aiming for the special spot on the back of her neck that would knock her unconscious. 

Suddenly, as though sensing what he was about to do, Lisette quickly dropped to the ground and turned, missing his chop as she swept her foot out before her as she had been taught. With a grunt of surprise, Owen felt his feet be swiped out from beneath him as he fell to the hard stone floor. 

Hearing Owen's cry, the three gargoyles quickly turned and watched as Owen clambered to his feet and began exchanging blow after blow with Lisette. "Brooklyn?" Angela asked softly as she stepped out of his comforting embrace to watch the scene in amazement. "Why are Owen and Lisette fighting?" 

Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn watched the exchange in dumbfounded amazement. "I have no idea," he murmured as Owen got a roundhouse kick past Lisette's blocks, catching her squarely in the chin. Wincing, Brooklyn started forward, intending to stop this madness when Hudson reached out and stopped him with a strong hand. 

Shaking his head slightly, Hudson nodded to the fight where Lisette was slowly clambering to her feet, a thin trickle of blood trailing down from her lips. "Bad blood 'as been brewin' between these two for quite a while. It be high time that they get it out in th' open." 

"So," Lisette began as she stood tall once again, her voice growing sad, "your teaching has turned from humiliating me to attacking me?" 

Ignoring her words, Owen straightened his tie and stood before his student. "I see that you have been working with Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos in the gym," he commented stonily. On the inside, he was proud of her performance, yet at the same time, he was angry at himself for not having knocked her unconscious with that last blow. He wanted her out almost as bad as the desire to not hurt her. 

"Obviously not enough," Lisette murmured, angry that Owen had gotten through her defenses. 

At her words, Owen's calm facade faltered. "I already stated that you are too weak. You need food and rest," Owen stated as he started forward and grabbed her arm with a steel grip. 

"You better be careful, monsieur, or else someone might think you care," Lisette replied, her voice lacking bite as she swayed slightly. 

"That's because I do care," Owen replied quickly without thinking. 

Surprised, Lisette stared up into his cold blue eyes and saw a sparkle of warmth that she had never seen before, save when the Puck was training young Alexander. "Then you will understand why I must do this," she replied slowly, her eyes beginning to glow green. "I'm sorry," she murmured as she lashed out at her teacher with her magic, wrapping his torso in a glowing chain of metal as she turned to step forward and kneel between Goliath and Elisa. She knew that she needed to take the magic from both in order to prevent their link to work against them. 

"Stop her!" Owen yelled as he struggled futilely in his binds, his sharp words spurring the gargoyles into action. All the while, Owen cursed Oberon for making him unable to do more. 

"Lisette!" Brooklyn cried out as he rushed forward, having no idea what was going on. Then again, if something was happening that spurred Owen-something-up-his-butt-Burnett to lose his cool, Brooklyn was worried. Then, almost as he was upon his girlfriend, Brooklyn saw her blue eyes flash green. Instantly, he put on the brakes and was almost to a stop when he crashed into an invisible barrier. 

"I am sorry, Brooklyn, but we cannot solve this without Elisa. She will be able to solve the problem," Lisette murmured as she reached up and placed one hand on Goliath's stone statue and the other on Elisa's prone form. "Plus, this way I will get the sleep that I need," she said with a small smile at Owen. 

Not amused, Owen quickly shook his head. "I can guarantee you that it will not be a peaceful sleep," he muttered as Hudson struggled to break the chains that surrounded him. 

Hearing his words, Lisette shrugged her dainty shoulders at the group. "This is the only way that I can help and I refuse to be helpless ever again," she explained. 

"Brooklyn, she can't..." Angela began, her face twisted in concern. 

"Shhh, Angela," Brooklyn broke in as he watched his love visibly try to relax and concentrate. Even though he disliked the idea of placing Lisette in danger as much as the rest, he also knew that this was something that she had to do. Also, as temporary clan leader, it was up to him to decide the best way to save their leader -- unfortunately, this was it. Lisette had a point, for Elisa was the best bet they had. It was all up to her... if she would ever awaken. 

Shaking her head, Lisette blocked out all outside noises and distractions: the wind which gently tousled her pale blond hair, the murmured words of the others, and even the beating of her own heart disappeared into the background as she focused on her memories of that fateful night so long ago. "Forces of magic that I command," Lisette murmured as the words echoed in her heart, "come forth and do as I demand." She knew that the words were different, but it was as though they were shaping to her very own soul. "Release the magic that binds these two and wrap me in its turbulent hues." 

With the last word of the spell spoken, the magic that had trapped and tortured the souls of two noble protectors fled their bodies and then surged through the hands of Lisette and coalesced into one powerful spell that rested over her heart. Instantly, the fatigue that she had been fighting surged over her, making her limbs heavy as she drifted into sleep, unaware of the hell that awaited her. 

With his eyes locked on Lisette, Brooklyn watched as she smothered a large yawn with her hand as she slowly began stretching out on the hard stone beside Elisa, her thin arms wrapping around the woman's body. He wanted to yell at her and tell her to fight the sleep, but as Owen's chains and the invisible barrier disappeared, Brooklyn knew it was useless. Sighing, he then moved forward and gathered Lisette into his arms -- and just in time too, for a second later, Elisa bolted awake, a heart wrenching wail cracking her voice as Goliath's stone shell shattered, sending him tumbling to the floor where Lisette had just occupied. 

"Father! Elisa!" Angela gasped as she rushed forward, her eyes wide as Elisa curled into a small ball, crushing sobs escaping her lips as Goliath stayed where he had fallen on his hands and knees, his eyes squeezed shut and his shoulders shaking. "What's wrong with them?" she asked as Goliath jerked violently away from her touch. 

"They're still lost in the memories of wherever they were," Owen answered as he once more straightened his suit. "It will take them time to emerge into the 'real' world." 

"Not too long, I hope," Brooklyn murmured as he looked down at his love. Already her face was drawn as soft moans could be heard. "Come on, let's bring them inside." 

Nodding in agreement, Angela and Hudson each grabbed one of Goliath's arms and hoisted him between them. Turning further, he saw that Owen had Elisa cradled in his arms. They were a broken clan. 

**To Be Continued**


	11. Dreams -- Part Two

**"Dreams -- Part Two"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 06/21/99

Revised on: 08/30/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. A portion of the story was taken directly from the Gargoyles' episodes, _Awakenings: Part One_ and _Hunter's Moon: Part Three._ The characters of Talika and Lisette, on the other hand, are of the others creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the second part of the eighth installment of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: Dreams, the windows to a person's soul, can be the most dangerous weapon of them all. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

**_Dreams -- Part Two_**

The tears stream down my face unchecked as I'm forced up the winding stairs to stand before the leader of my demolished clan, his body still frozen in stone and wrapped tightly in chains. All around me the screams of my clan echo in the darkening sky. Soon, their words of pain and pleadings for help change into words of hate as they blame me for their deaths. 

"Shut up, witch!" the Captain of the Roman army roars at me as he slaps me forcibly across my face, so hard that darkness swarms up to clutch at me with tiny, piercing fingers. But I would get no respite from this hellish night that easily. 

As the sun sets over the distant horizon and the bleak night steals over the land, my leader breaks from his stone sleep only to discover the remains of his clan and himself imprisoned in chains. He turns quickly and focuses on my weary face. "Lisette?" he cries out, his voice panicky. "What has happened? Why didn't you stop this?!" he roars, his voice changing to that of one in anger. 

"The iron!" I gasp weakly, displaying my own chained arms that leave me as nothing else but a defenseless girl. 

"Why did you allow yourself to be chained?" the leader roars again, his anger and grief now so intense that his eyes blaze a hot white light. 

"The witch," the Roman Captain breaks in, his words meant for the gargoyle but his eyes locked on me, "allowed her anger to blind her so that we could take her from behind." 

"But," I begin weakly before I realize that there is no defense for myself. What the Captain spoke was the truth. 

"So my clan.. my **_love_** and **_mate_**," the leader says, his voice a deadly whisper as I turn to meet his cold eyes, "are all **_DEAD_** because... because... because you **_allowed_** yourself to be taken from behind?!" 

"I... I am sorry... so sorry," I cry softly as the tears pour down my cheeks. "It is my fault! All my fault!" I sob as the truth finally hits me: everyone in my clan, everyone, died senseless deaths that could have been avoided if I hadn't made the most obvious mistake in the book by leaving my back unprotected. They all died senseless deaths because of me. 

And then the voices rise and speak my guilt aloud. "You killed my clan!" the leader roars as he jumps from his parapet to stand menacingly before me. "It's thanks to you that we were able to destroy the demons!" the Roman Captain adds as he stands beside my leader. "You killed us? Why didn't you help us? You could have saved us all! You betrayed your clan!" come the very real voices of my clan, blowing in on the wind as their shattered stone forms appear before me, some missing arms, legs, and heads... all accusing me of the truth. 

"Oh my God, help me!" I scream as my heart and mind split in two, tears streaming down my face. "Please... help me..." 

* * *

"Oh mon Dieu, aidez-moi," Lisette whispered in a tiny voice as silent tears dripped down her drawn face. "S'il vous plâit... aidez-moi..." 

Sighing softly, Brooklyn wanted nothing more than to gather the sleeping girl into his arms, but he knew from the experience he had gained during the last three hours that she would only recoil from his soft touch. Like Elisa had been, his love was now curled into a fetal position, her arms still wrapped in her white Nike shirt, wrapped tightly around her legs. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn gently covered Lisette with a light Afghan and then turned to look at Angela with worried eyes. 

Sighing, Angela turned her eyes away from Brooklyn and then turned her attention back to Elisa and Goliath. Upon entering the Castle, Brooklyn had led the group to Lisette's spacious bedroom where both Lisette and Elisa had been deposited on the large king size canopy bed. After much debate, Angela and Hudson had finally laid Goliath's large frame on the plush carpeting beside the side of the bed that Elisa occupied. Slowly, as the hours passed, you could see the tension leave their bodies. While that caused hope to blossom within her, at the same time she couldn't help but worry for her friend who was steadily getting worse, wishing that they would wake sooner. 

As if hearing her thoughts, Elisa and Goliath's eyes snapped open as one as they both sat up quickly. Turning, they both then moved to each other until Elisa was cradled in Goliath's arms with Goliath hanging on for dear life. "I'm so sorry," Goliath murmured as he prayed that this was real and that his love was really alive and there in his arms. 

"Hope," Elisa murmured quietly as she clung to him like a lifeline, trying to banish the remnants of her troubling nightmare back into the furthest abyss of her mind. 

Surprised at the sudden movement from two who had been still for so long, Angela, Brooklyn, Hudson and Owen watched in stunned silence for a moment before stepping forward. "Father? Elisa?" Angela asked as she hesitantly put a hand on her father's lavender shoulder. 

Instantly, Goliath recoiled from her touch and acted as though he was trying to shield Elisa from harm. But when he finally looked up and met Angela's concerned gaze, the group was instantly struck by his haunted eyes. "I am sorry, Angela," he mumbled slowly as he climbed to his feet, Elisa standing before him with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist from behind. 

"What happened? What are we doing in here?" Elisa asked as she waved airily at the room, her large chocolate brown eyes holding the same lost look as Goliath. 

"We were hoping that you could tell us," was Brooklyn's reply as he stepped forward, uneasy at seeing his strong leader so stricken. 

At this, Goliath frowned softly. "The last I remember is turning to stone at sunrise this morning... and the dreams." 

Nodding knowingly at her love, Elisa shook her head. "Same here. Just the dreams and going to bed this morning," she acknowledged before a panicked look covered her features. "Wait a minute! It's sunset already?" she gasped as she turned to leave, taking in the dark night through a large window. "Oh no! I was supposed to relieve Lisette at five and have to be at work in a half hour!" 

"Detective Maza," Owen broke in, halting her with his words, "the sun set over three hours ago." 

"What?!" Goliath and Elisa asked simultaneously as Goliath unconsciously tightened his hold on his beloved. "How is that possible?" Goliath asked slowly, his low timbered voice taking on some of its customary strength. 

"You both were under a spell," Angela replied slowly as she sighed in relief. It finally seemed as though her father was returning to normal. 

"A spell?" Elisa asked in confusion. 

"Aye, lass, that ye both were," Hudson agreed quietly. 

At his mentor's words, Goliath finally accepted their words as truth. Turning, he regarded his second-in-command levelly. "Tell us what has happened," he ordered, his eyes piercing. 

Nodding his head, Brooklyn stood taller. "When we awoke this evening we found you encased in stone, still asleep," he explained, his voice slow and even. "Lisette..." here, Brooklyn faltered for the briefest of moments before steeling his emotions. 

Noting this, Elisa exchanged worried looks with Goliath before focusing once more on the brick red gargoyle. 

"Lisette said that you were under a magic spell, a mortal's spell. With no other ideas, we went to your apartment, Elisa, and found you under the same spell and in a deep sleep..." 

"Brooklyn, where is Lisette and the others?" Elisa interrupted, her mind whirling at all they had been told, thankful to get her mind off of her dreams, which were no doubt the result of the spell. "Where are Broadway and Lexington?" 

"I sent them to guard the museum," Brooklyn answered, his face pained. 

"And Lisette?" Goliath rumbled, concern pushing away his guilt and anguish. 

"Lisette realized that the only real possibility of ending the spell was with your help, Elisa," Brooklyn answered, his face turning into a mask that hid his true emotions. "So, she twisted the spell you had taught her around so that she was under the spell and you both were freed." 

Shaking his head, Owen quickly spoke up before the others, surprising them all. "I told them to stop her!" he said, his face twisted in anger and concern. 

"And even if we could have, I wouldn't have allowed it!" Brooklyn snapped back, obviously at war within himself. 

"Why not?" Angela asked slowly, surprised at her clan brother's answer. 

"Because what Lisette did was for the best of the clan, Angela," Goliath stated, answering for his young second. "As clan leader, all personal feelings must be set aside for what is best for the clan." Shaking his head, Goliath sympathized with his second, for he knew that he had to choose between his duty to the clan and his desire to protect the one he loved. At Brooklyn's choice, Goliath felt a surge of pride. He had picked his second well and realized that his clan would indeed be well lead should anything ever happen to him. 

"She can do that?" Elisa asked aloud as she puzzled over Brooklyn's words, completely missing the conversation around her. 

"I didn't think so," Owen answered with a sigh of his own as he led Elisa over to the young woman's side. "But I have been wrong before," he admitted as Elisa sat on the bed beside his student, a large frown on her face as she saw Lisette for the first time. 

"Lisette?" she whispered as she gently reached out and touched her, only to have her recoil sharply from the contact. Shaking her head, Elisa bit her lip at the flood of tears that poured down the young woman's face. Suddenly, in a flash she saw her little Hope curled in the same way Lisette had been. She looked almost exactly like a younger version of the French mage, only with curly fine locks and tears of blood replacing Lisette's clear ones. Clenching her hand in a fist, Elisa quickly snapped her eyes shut, willing the nightmare image away. A few seconds and calming breaths later, Elisa finally opened her eyes and was relieved to see Lisette's familiar visage once again. 

"Elisa?" Goliath asked, concern echoing in his voice as he stepped behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, only then noticing that his love was still clothed in her bedclothes of a pair of boxers and a thin tee-shirt. 

Sighing, Elisa slowly shook her head. Reaching out, she gently but firmly placed her hand on the sleeping girl, not allowing her to shy away. Then, she concentrated on the young mage, murmuring beneath her breath as a pale green field formed around Lisette's form. "She is growing weaker," Elisa finally murmured as she stood back, her eyes distant. 

"What?" Brooklyn cried out as he took Elisa's position beside Lisette. 

"The spell that she is under is twice as powerful as was for me and Goliath for it had both of ours combined." At the blank and worried looks she was receiving, Elisa quickly explained. "The dreams are twice as bad for her, which means that it takes half the time for her to get to the point where we were when we awoke." 

"Dreams?" Angela asked, puzzled by Elisa's words. 

Shaking her head, Elisa met Goliath's haunted eyes. "From what I can tell, the spell makes you relive your worst memories...." 

"Well, that can't be too bad, can it?" Angela asked, unaware of the enormity of the situation. After all, she had led a pretty sheltered life on the enchanted isle of Avalon where a thunderstorm was unheard of. She never had to live through the Wyvern massacre. No, she was still under the impression that just because you survived something once that you could do it again. 

Well aware of this fact, Elisa slowly shook her head. "It's worse because it's different this time -- twisted," she clarified quickly, "and the pain is worse, both physical and mental." 

Nodding his head slowly, Goliath met Brooklyn's eyes. "I relived the massacre at Wyvern and Hunter's Moon," he admitted, his eyes shadowed. "It was even worse than the first time for I lost everyone and alone carried the blame." 

"But it wasn't your fault," Brooklyn argued, not liking what he was hearing one bit. If what they were saying was true, then Lisette was really in trouble, for they all knew that Lisette's relatively short life was filled with plenty of painful ammo for this spell. 

"Perhaps," Goliath admitted, "but in the dreams you always are." 

Wincing, Elisa shook her head. "Thank God, in a way, that I have so much to feel guilty for in my life that I didn't get a chance to reach the twenty-first century," she murmured, trying to smile. 

All this time, Hudson had remained silent as he listened to the others and puzzled over a single question. Finally, when satisfied that there could be no other answer, he decided to speak out. "It 'ad to 'ave been Demona who cast this spell," he said, his voice gruff and sure of what he spoke. 

"Mother?" Angela asked, her eyes wide. 

Sighing, Elisa slowly nodded her head. "Demona is the only one of our enemies that could do something like this and who had a grudge against Goliath and I." 

"But, I know that Mother does not like you, Elisa," Angela mumbled, her words causing everyone to crack a smile at the big understatement, "but I know that she still loves Father." 

"Obviously not anymore," Brooklyn murmured wearily as he gently took Lisette's warm hand into his. Already the green light that surrounded her and that marked the spell's strength was growing dimmer. Normally, he would find this as a good thing and would feel relieved. Now, though, he knew that if the spell was wearing itself out then there was becoming less and less of a chance for the young woman to come out of this unscathed and now even more emotionally scared then she already was. Shaking his head, he quickly brought the conversation back on track. "So, if Demona is the one who did this, do we go to see her?" 

"No," Elisa quickly interrupted as her eyes flashed green. "Leave Demona to me," she stated as she raised her hands above her head and prepared to teleport to Demona's manor. 

Before she could do so, though, Goliath stepped forward and placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Because you are going to use magic to get there, I am assuming that you plan on using intimidation." 

Surprised more at Goliath's desire to detail her plans for no obvious reason than the fact that he was correct, Elisa slowly nodded her head. Could it be that he knew her that well already so that he could interpret her every action? Smiling, Elisa realized just how much she truly enjoyed that idea. 

"Then, I suggest changing, my love," Goliath said with a small smile as Elisa finally noticed that she stood only in a striped pair of boxer shorts and a man's oversized tee-shirt, her face flushing in embarrassment. "I think that your intimidation will be hampered when presented in your bed clothes." 

"Very funny, Big Guy," Elisa muttered as she quickly snapped her fingers. In a flare of green magic, the simple bed clothes were instantly replaced with the wispy royal blue skirt and halter top with the golden highlights that spoke of power and prestige. "Is this more intimidating?" she asked with a bright smile as she brushed her long, silky locks over her shoulder in a wave of darkness. 

Gulping silently, Goliath couldn't help but realize how unearthly beautiful Elisa, no, Talika was, with her darkly tanned skin offset by the royal blues. She truly was a goddess. 

Seeing Goliath's appreciative reaction, Talika silently debated about wearing the familiar outfit more often when a quiet cry from Lisette reminded her of her mission. Instantly she was all business as the smile was replaced by a look of grim determination. Without any further ado, she then disappeared in a blinding flash of green light. 

"Please be careful, Mother," Angela whispered quietly as she hoped for both Demona and Elisa and turned back to Lisette's tossing form. 

"Oh mon Dieu! Tuez-moi maintenant!" the sleeping girl murmured, causing all color to drain from Brooklyn's face. "Hurry Elisa..." 

* * *

As the man slowly lowers the burning torch to the sea of hay that surrounds me, I struggle uselessly in my iron bonds. My mind screams that this can't be happening, that I, Lisette, am not about to be burned at the stake while all around me Romans and my native people of Gaul stare at me with hatred and fear. But then, as the hay and straw begins to pour forth an acrid black smoke that clogs my nose and burns my teary blue eyes, I know that this is real. "Please, I am not a witch!" I cry out as the crackling of the hungry fire eats away below me. 

But the people, my people, don't care about me or my pleas to logic. All they care about is their naive fear of what they do not understand: me. "Burn, Witch!" they being to chant as the fire draws near to the pole that I am painfully bound to, inching ever closer to the hem of my tattered blue dress. 

And then, in a flash of light, the leader of my clan stands before me. The proud gargoyle is a sad sight with limbs twisted in ways they never should be and blood trickling down his face. Beside him stands the Captain of the Roman army, hatred lining both of their faces. "You must burn for your sins," the Captain murmurs, his dark eyes flashing. 

Tearing my eyes away from the two, I watch in growing horror, fear, and pain as the fire roars closer, searing my skin as my chains begin to absorb the heat. "Please," I cry as I stare deep into my leader's eyes, "I did everything I could!" 

"You shall pay for what you did to my clan," he growls, his eyes cold and hard as the said clan appears around him. 

Gasping, I find my eyes drawn to their battered forms, many limbs missing from their figures. Then, and only then, does the fear I feel give way to grief and sadness as the tears pour down my cheeks. And then, my moan quickly turns into a scream of pain as the fire finally licks at my bare feet. Screaming out in pain, I jerk my eyes downward as the fire traces the soft material of my dress and then quickly consumes it. And then, my screams of pain turn to agony as the fire builds around me, burning my clothes, my hair, my flesh. "Oh God, kill me now!" I scream as I feel my body melt under the intense heat from all around me. Yet even as I scream this my mind knows that I do not deserve release. For killing my clan, I shall forever burn. 

* * *

Destine Manor 

Groaning, Demona slowly put her taloned hand to her head as she pulled her aching body off of the hard floor in her spell room. Shaking her head, she glared at the offending scroll which had cost her a day of her busy life. "Easy spell? I think not," she growled, her eyes burning red. The small bonus of sleeping through her painful transformation just wasn't worth the pounding headache or the blinding exhaustion she now felt. All she wanted to do was crawl upstairs into her soft, warm bed. Sadly, she wouldn't get that chance quite yet. 

"Demona, stop where you are," a single voice rang out, so familiar yet so different as it made her want to cringe before royalty. 

Sighing, she slowly put her hand on the wall for support as she turned to glare at the intruder behind her. "What do you want, human?" Demona asked.. and then felt her jaw drop. "Maza?!" she croaked as she truly looked at the human that did in fact exude a feeling of power -- like royalty. Strangely, she had to fight the urge to fall to her knees and bow deeply to her worst enemy. "Must be more tired than I thought," Demona mumbled as she forced her glare to replace her look of astonishment. 

Frowning, Elisa allowed her eyes to flare a bright green in anger. "Where is the spell that you cast against Goliath and I?" she asked, her voice ringing in the small room. 

At the skimpily clad Detective's question, Demona felt some of the fog clear from her aching head. "How did you get in here?" she questioned, her eyes wide as she backed away. "The spell..." 

"None of your spells will ever affect us," Elisa quickly broke in, lying through her teeth. "Your magically poisoned dart and this little dream spell didn't work and all it is, is a waste of time and energy." 

_Little?!_ her mind seethed. "But," Demona protested weakly, shaking her head in denial. If magic would not work against her enemies, then what did she have left to defeat them with? Her bare hands? 

"Where is the spell?" Elisa repeated, enjoying every second of Demona's confusion. 

At her words, Demona's eyes unconsciously snapped to the offending scroll. 

Following her eyes, Elisa quickly stalked over to the table and snatched up the parchment. Unable to hold back her smile, Talika quickly froze Demona's taloned feet to the floor and skimmed the parchment. When she got to the bottom, her smile instantly disappeared as she turned the aging scroll over, hoping to find more written on the back. When she didn't, her eyes snapped to the blue gargess who was getting madder by the minute. "Where's the rest? Where's the counter spell?" Elisa ground out, her eyes glowing green. 

Unimpressed, Demona hissed at the woman standing before her as she struggled to remove her feet from their frozen position. "If you both are unaffected by my magic, then why do you need a counter spell?" Demona growled, her eyes burning red. 

"I need it for Lisette," Elisa murmured absently as she studied the spell once again, only realizing her slip after it was too late. 

"I got the little witch?" Demona asked in surprise, temporarily forgetting her anger as a small surge of pride filled her. She had **_no_** idea how the little wench that had caused her so much trouble could have been affected, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Sighing, Elisa placed the scroll back on the table and faced her mate's ex. "Demona, where's the counter spell?" she asked wearily, tired of the games. 

At the detective's question, Demona slowly leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms casually across her chest. "There is no counter spell." 

"What?!" Elisa cried as she stood taller, instantly searching the gargess's eyes for signs that she was lying. To her great dismay, all that she saw was truth shining through with no room for deception. 

"The ancient Egyptians obviously didn't believe in a change of heart or mind," Demona answered with a small smirk. Even though she didn't ensnare her true targets in the spell's web, the effort wasn't completely wasted if one of Goliath's clan somehow fell prey instead -- especially since it was the little witch that had caused her so much grief earlier. 

At Demona's casual words, Elisa felt her anger quickly build before dropping just as quickly. "Demona, when will you get over your anger and focus on the results of your actions?" 

Bristled by the Detective's obvious pity, Demona's angry tirade was only halted by the weariness in her voice. She was familiar with the weariness for it was only expressed by those who had lived too long and had seen too much. It was a weariness that she shouldered after living for a thousand years. Quietly, she wondered how this woman could gain this weariness in her short life. 

"Maybe next time you should think about your daughter before you try destroying her father," Elisa murmured before disappearing in a flash of light. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

As the light flashed brightly in the large room, everyone turned hopeful eyes to the sole person who appeared. Then, their eyes dropped as Elisa moved quietly across the room, the swishing of her blue jeans the only noise as she sat wordlessly on the bed beside the pale girl. 

"She's getting weaker," Brooklyn murmured from across Elisa as he nodded towards the pale green field that surrounded Lisette -- a field that was growing lighter by the second. 

"Did Demona give you the counter spell?" Goliath asked from beside the bed, his large arm wrapped around Angela's shoulders. 

"There is no counter spell," Elisa murmured as she gently placed a hand on the young woman's sweaty forehead. 

"Now what do we do?" Owen asked as he stepped out of the shadows and into the soft amber light of the shaded lamps. 

"She doesn't have long," Brooklyn added from his position beside the enchanted mage, squeezing her hand gently. "Earlier she was screaming as though.. she was being burned alive," he continued. "She was begging for God to just kill her." 

Wincing at the young gargoyle's words, Elisa closed her eyes against the wave of fresh memories that assaulted her mind. Yes, she could easily see how the young woman could be brought to the point where she would prefer death over the hell she endured. Shaking her head, Elisa quickly focused on Owen's question. "We must allow for the spell to exhaust itself without causing Lisette any more harm." 

"An' how do ye propose to do that, lass?" Hudson asked as he gently scratched Bronx behind his ears. For the entire night Hudson had struggled to keep the doggoyle by his side and out of the way of the others while the mutt wanted nothing else than to stay by, first Goliath and Elisa, and now Lisette's side. 

"By guiding her through the dreams," came Elisa's simple reply as she shrugged out of her red bomber jacket and gently took the young mage's hand in hers. What worried her now was that the young woman was beyond the point of shying away from her soft touch. 

"You can do that, Elisa?" Angela asked in wide-eyed amazement, drawing strength from her father. "You can enter her dreams?" 

"Under normal circumstances, such a thing would be difficult at best," Elisa stated as she closed her eyes and began picking at the threads of magic. "... but because of the spell, I should be able to..." she trailed off as she found the small hole that she had been searching for. "Bingo," she murmured as she threw her consciousness through the hole and into Lisette's hellish dream beyond. 

* * *

Instantly, Elisa's senses were assaulted by a barrage of smells, sounds, and unfamiliar sights as Lisette's dreamscape slowly built around her. Shaking her head to clear it, Elisa slowly picked herself off of the hard stone steps and brushed the dirt from her jeans. Glancing up, she saw that she was in a tower of an old stone castle, a château in this case, the worn stone radiating a deep coolness. Sighing, Elisa breathed in the smell of pine trees, stables, and something else that she couldn't identify that filtered in through a nearby window. Slowly she began walking up the winding staircase that she had been deposited in, her black boots clapping softly off of the stone. 

Suddenly she heard the soft tapping of slippered feet from further up and quickly backed against the wall, desperately trying to hide in the deep shadows of the tower. In truth, Elisa had no idea how this dream thing would work and was hesitant to find out. And then, the person who approached came into view. 

"Lisette!" Elisa cried out as she stepped out, causing the girl to jump back in surprise. Quickly, Elisa realized that the label of girl was indeed fitting for the young mage appeared to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old. Still, in the striking burgundy gown and with part of her long blond tresses fastened securely behind her, the girl was still an enchanting figure. 

"Oh, mon Dieu!" Lisette cried out as she jumped away from the voice and backed into one of the hard stone walls. With wide, frightened blue eyes she watched as the owner of the voice left her veil of shadows, revealing a striking woman with raven black hair that was clothed in strange, form-fitting clothing. As her heart beat slowly stilled, Lisette peered up into the woman's concerned gaze. "Mother?" she whispered slowly, tears filling her eyes. 

Groaning, Elisa quickly shook her head as she finished off the distance between herself and the girl, taking her small hands in her own. "No, it's Elisa... don't you remember?" 

"Elisa?" Lisette questioned, her brow tightening in confusion. Suddenly, a bright smile spread across her face, twin dimples appearing. "Elisa! Of course I remember you!" she cried out, her arms wrapping instinctively around the older woman. 

Smiling, Elisa relished in the comfort the girl's small arms brought before stepping back and staring at her intently. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice tight with concern. 

"Of course," Lisette responded quickly, her expression showing her confusion. "Craigen just relieved me of my studies for the evening! I was just heading down to patrol with Petite and the rest of the clan... would you like to join me?" 

Sighing, Elisa quickly realized that she must have arrived at the beginning of one of the dreams. Also, from Lisette's age and references, it was obvious that the dream was taken from a memory from Lisette's time in France. Then again, that could be used to her advantage. Obviously the girl had memories of both the present and the past -- memories that would conflict and help her to see Lisette's dream for what it truly was. 

Taking in Elisa's hesitation, Lisette's smile only grew. "But of course! You probably already have plans with Goliath!" 

Jumping on that, Elisa felt her dark eyes bore into Lisette. "Who's Goliath?" 

At her friend's question, Lisette looked at the older woman as though she were daft. "You, of all people, should not be asking that question..." 

"Humor me," Elisa interrupted, growing slightly impatient. 

Shaking her head, the girl shrugged her dainty shoulders. "Goliath is the leader of the clan and **_your_** mate." 

Smiling, Elisa squeezed Lisette's hands gently. "But how can your leader and Goliath both lead the clan?" she asked. 

Instantly Lisette frowned softly as she thought of the paradox, causing Elisa's smile to grow. Then, the frown disappeared as Lisette grinned up at the detective. "Because they each lead their own clan, silly!" she cried out, a small laugh escaping her lips. 

Groaning, Elisa quickly shook her head. She had forgotten the most important rule to dreaming -- the subconscious mind which controlled the dream would always make the most obvious of inconsistencies seem natural. How else could people dream of Freddie Krueger, mermaids, or other such fictitious creatures yet seem so real? "Lisette, you're dreaming!" Elisa finally cried out in frustration. 

"What?" Lisette asked, concern showing in her eyes for her friend. 

"Lisette, this is all a..." Elisa trailed off as heavy footsteps echoed off of the stone steps. Without another word, Elisa quickly moved into the shadows and watched with narrowed eyes as a young man stepped into view. Shying lower into the smooth darkness, Elisa saw that the man was about twenty years old with dark brown hair captured in a string of dark leather. Even she had to admit that he was ruggedly handsome with strong shoulders, an even build, and dark breeches that showed his physique. 

"Good evening, my lord," Lisette said quickly, her eyes downcast in a show of submissiveness and respect as Craigen had taught her, curtsying low on the wide and curving step. 

"Rise up, my lady," the young man said quietly as he stepped forward, causing Lisette to step back, the rough stone wall scraping against the soft material of her dress as her back rubbed the wall. "My father, the lord, is not here," he offered in explanation. "You need not show such formalities when we are alone as now," he murmured as his fiery gaze raked boldly over her form. Even though she was quite young, the girl was rapidly blossoming into a young woman. Already she was a ravishing sight and had easily caught his hungry attention. 

"Of course, Lord Louis," she responded, still looking down as she felt the man edge near. "Although we are hardly alone..." she murmured as she felt a tingle of fear creep upon her as the lord's son stood quietly, no doubt eyeing her as he had been as of late. Curse her luck for having her chance upon him! 

"Alone enough," the man murmured. 

"Were you looking for Craigen, my lord?" she asked hopefully. After all, Craigen's chambers were the only rooms to be found in this tower. 

"I already found who I was looking for, my lady," Lord Louis the third answered quietly as he stepped forward once again. Now, he was standing directly before her, towering a full head above her as he gazed wantonly down on her blond locks. She was trapped and he knew it, and by God, this little beauty would be his. "What do I call you, my lady?" he asked quietly as he slowly brought his hand up and gently trailed it down the soft velvet material that covered her small shoulder, her arm shaking beneath his touch. "Is it my lady, mage Lisette, or something else?" 

"Please stop, my lord," Lisette whispered, dismayed at how weak her voice sounded. But she couldn't help it. Already she was risking his wrath by asking such a thing -- one just never questioned the lord's son. 

"What is wrong, my pet?" Lord Louis asked, his voice low and thick as he stepped the final step closer, his hard body pressing her against the wall. Taking his hand away, the young man quickly lifted the girl's chin and crushed his lips against her petal-soft ones. Sighing, he quickly darted his tongue into her small mouth and felt her recoil in surprise. Smiling, he pulled away and admired her full lips before turning his deep gaze up to meet her bright blue eyes. To his amazement, he saw that the girl's eyes burned with indignant anger and shock -- both held in careful check in fear of the consequences of openly displaying either. "Do you not like it, chèrie?" he murmured as he raised an experienced hand slowly up till he cupped one of her small breasts in his large hand through the material of her dress. 

Gasping, Lisette tried to slide away from the offending touch only to have the man thrust his pelvis forward, effectively pinning her against the wall while leaving his hands free to roam. "My lord," she moaned, tears pooling in her eyes as she weakly lifted her hands to push him away. 

Reacting instantly, the Lord quickly stepped back and pulled the girl roughly from the wall and pinned her to him. Smiling wickedly, he quickly arched his neck and began ravishing her neck with rough kisses. "This first time won't be easy," he murmured as he jerked Lisette's small hands behind her back, easily holding her slim wrists with one hand as he once more backed her into the wall. "But I can't resist your temptations any longer..." he trailed off as he once again began kneading her soft breasts through her dress. 

"Well, you damn well better start!" Elisa cried out as she rushed forward out of the shadows, her eyes flashing in anger. She had sat in the shadows, forcing herself to wait for Lisette to defend herself from the brute. But soon, it became apparent that the girl wouldn't strike out. Yet, to her dismay, the man didn't even react to her sudden outburst. Nearly growling in anger, Elisa quickly threw a punch at the man -- only to have her fist pass right through him as though she were but an apparition. 

"Next time, we will have more time, chèrie, and I shall enjoy you more thoroughly," the man continued, his voice a low moan as he nibbled on Lisette's neck, his hand painfully exploring her as the tears dripped through her thick lashes. 

"Lisette, you must fight him!" Elisa cried out, her compassionate eyes turning to the girl she loved as a daughter. 

"Oh Elisa," Lisette moaned as she tried to deny what was happening to her, to ignore the obvious violation of her body. Strangely, it was as though the Lord didn't even hear her words to her friend. "If I fight the Lord's son, I shall be severely punished..." she murmured. 

"No you won't! This is just a dream, Lisette!" Elisa pleaded, wishing more than anything that she could stop the man herself. She was a cop, for God's sake, this was her **JOB**! But she had stated it best: she was nothing more than a guide to the young mage -- only Lisette could prevent what was happening. "You can fight him!" 

At this, Lisette laughed bitterly and then winced in pain. Before the tears could start, the girl quickly tuned out what was happening to her body and focused on her raven-haired friend. "If only this was but a dream..." 

"It is a dream..." 

"You do not feel pain like this in dreams," Lisette whispered quietly as a single tear trickled out. "I would not feel his hot breath on my neck, his rough kisses, or his hands on me in dreams!" Lisette cried bitterly, trying to block out his groans of pleasure. 

"And in a dream Brooklyn would come to your rescue, wouldn't he?" Elisa bit back, shocking the girl into listening with her harsh words. "Well, in this dream Brooklyn's not going to save you -- you gotta save yourself!" 

"Save myself..." Lisette murmured, wincing as the Lord's son pressed himself against her, his passion and urgency growing. Instantly she came to her decision: any punishment was better than this. "I warn you one last time, my lord," Lisette hissed, her eyes demanding his attention. "Stop this." 

Surprised, Lord Louis paused in his mad pawing and regarded the little wench. "I think not," he replied, his voice husky as he slowly slid his hand down her body, pausing over every supple curve till he reached her waist line. Smiling, he then slowly began pulling the heavy material of her gown up, revealing her smooth legs an inch at a time as he pressed himself firmly against her. 

At this, a cold shard of fear flared within her... fear and anger. "**_NO!_**" she cried out as she called upon her magic -- only to realize that she had no magic to call upon. "Elisa!" she cried out, panic filling her voice as a cold breeze caressed her bare thighs. "My magic is gone!" 

"Then fight him with your hands!" Elisa cried out as the man slowly spread his legs around her and began caressing Lisette's legs -- before tugging at his own breeches. 

Gasping at his move, Lisette reacted on instinct. With her hands still painfully pinned behind her, that left only one real thing to attack with. "**_NO!_**" she screamed again as she brought her knee viciously up, catching him openly between the legs. With a groan of agony, Lord Louis the third slowly backed away from the young girl before disappearing altogether, finally releasing Lisette. Crying out, the young girl then quickly tumbled into Elisa's waiting arms where they both then fell to the hard stone stairs. "What is going on?!" Lisette sobbed brokenly. 

"You're under a spell," Elisa murmured as she stroked the girl's soft hair. "Don't you remember taking the spell from Goliath and I?" 

At Elisa's quiet words, Lisette's sobs slowly stilled as she turned her tear-stained face to the detective. "I remember..." she murmured, her voice filled with wonder. "So... all this," she said, indicating their surroundings with a wave, "is a part of my dream?" 

"Every last bit of it," Elisa replied with a small smile. "Right now you're lying on your bed with the clan gathered around you." 

"It was so real," Lisette mumbled, still able to feel his rough hands on her body. 

"One quirk to the spell..." Elisa trailed off as she watched Lisette's composure literally crumble before her. As tears streaked down the young girl's face, a haunted look of self-loathing entered her large blue eyes. "Lisette?" Elisa asked anxiously as the young mage withdrew from her embrace and wrapped her thin arms around her knees. 

"I remember the other dreams," Lisette whispered bleakly as she felt her heart crumble within her. "They were awful..." 

"Shh... it wasn't real," Elisa whispered as she tried to draw the girl into her arms once again, only to have her draw away. 

"Not real?" Lisette asked in disbelief, her haunted eyes finally meeting Elisa's. "I can still hear my clan scream my guilt!" she cried, causing Elisa to wince in sympathy. "I can still feel the agony as the fire eats my flesh... torches my hair... burns me alive," Lisette whispered, her voice hollow. 

"Oh God," Elisa murmured as she stared at the young girl in shock. She knew that the spell was going to be worse for the young mage, the magic now twice as strong. Still, she had no idea just **_how_** bad the dreams would be. "Lisette, I..." she trailed off as she watched the young mage's eyes grow wide in terror. 

"Elisa! What's happening?" Lisette cried out as the walls and stairs began disappearing from around them. 

"You're heading into the next dream!" Elisa guessed as she felt herself begin to disappear as well. Sighing, she knew what it meant. 

"Next dream?!" Lisette gasped as she quickly climbed to her feet. "I thought this was over.. that you came to rescue me, Elisa... Elisa?!" Lisette screamed as she found herself in a misty void, the last traces of her dream disappearing completely -- along with the detective. 

"Don't forget that this is a dream..." Elisa's strained voice floated in the misty realm, seeming to come from all directions. 

"Elisa?! What's going on?" Lisette screamed as she whirled in place, a cold knot of fear ruling her heart. She couldn't face another dream, especially not alone... at this point, she feared her sanity couldn't take it. "Where are you?!" 

"... can't go... you..." came Elisa's disembodied voice. 

"Elisa?!" Lisette screamed, the knot growing tighter. 

"... remember... clan......... faith............." 

"**_ELISA!!!_**" Lisette screamed once again, the salty tears streaking down her face as she fell to her knees. "Please don't leave me..." she whispered desolately to the swirling mist, alone in her hell once again. 

* * *

"I'm sorry," Elisa murmured as she slowly opened her eyes and looked down at Lisette's sleeping form. For a moment, the beautiful young woman lying before her was a shock, having become accustomed to her younger self. 

"Elisa?" Goliath asked softly as he moved around to the other side of Lisette's large canopied bed till he was standing behind his love. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly as he gently rested his large, lavender hand on her shoulder. 

"The spell kicked me out," Elisa muttered angrily as she gently released Lisette's hand and clambered back over the bed till she was standing beside Goliath. "How long was I out?" she asked as she squeezed her love's hand gently, flashing him a small smile to reassure him before moving around the bed to join the others. 

"About an hour," Brooklyn replied from beside Lisette, her slim hand still clasped in his own. 

Smiling softly, Elisa realized that in the hour that had passed, not much had changed. Brooklyn now sat in a chair that someone had pulled beside the bed, an alert vigil with Bronx sleeping at his feet. A small fire crackled in the fireplace, tended to by Hudson as Broadway and Lexington sat huddled in a corner with Angela, their eyes locked on her own. Even Owen had remained, his cold and expressionless mask doing nothing to hide the worry in his eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" Elisa finally asked as she turned back to the trio hunched in the corner, arching a slim eyebrow at the pair. 

"They were worried about their clan sister and I decided that their presence was needed most here," Goliath answered for them, throwing a small nod in Angela's direction. 

Elisa quickly understood -- Angela and Lisette were obviously very close and the support that her love and clan brother could offer would be a help. 

"How is she? What happened?" Brooklyn finally asked as he gave up waiting for Elisa to supply the information. At her silence, he quickly continued. "The spell is almost done... is that good or bad?" 

"I'm not sure," Elisa answered honestly. "I was able to get through to her and remind her of the spell in the last dream. Because of that, I think that this final dream will be the worst..." 

"And?" Owen asked, his voice cracking as his blue eyes bore into the detective. 

"If she remembers my warning and that it's only a dream then she'll be fine. If not..." Elisa trailed off, not wanting to voice the words aloud for superstitious fear of making the statement real. 

"Then it's all up to her now," Brooklyn murmured as he turned his eyes back to his love. "I know you can do it," he whispered, squeezing her hand gently as he used his brick red hand to brush an errant strand of blond from her forehead. "I have faith in you." 

* * *

Sighing softly I roam the ramparts of Castle Wyvern, the soft wind gently caressing my long blond hair. My mind is a whirl of thoughts and half-remembered dreams -- and it's the dreams that concern me. They're wispy, like veils, but so troubling that they demand my complete attention. Yet to make matters all the worse, the dreams are tangled and intertwined with my own memories, confusing me further. 

There was a misty dream of that fateful day when my clan had been destroyed. It's no secret that I've always held guilt for the part that I played in my clan's destruction -- I will never forgive myself for what my blind anger caused. Even as I think this the tears cloud my eyes and the pain fills my heart -- pain that is as strong as it was two to three years ago when I had awoken from my enchanted sleep. This, I somehow know, is because of the dream... all because of the dream. 

And then there's the second dream. In my memories, I know that Craigen had saved me from the stake with my legs being the only part suffering from the wrath of the flames. Yet, in my dream no one had saved me and I had burned... Wincing, I turn my face into the cool night breeze and attempt to still my beating heart. My wandering has taken me to Wyvern's highest tower where I stand in silence and try to stop the war that's raging within me. The pain... the pain from my dream is more real and vivid to me than the real pain I had actually endured. I can **_still_** feel the sickening way my skin seemed to melt off... 

"No," I murmur aloud as I quickly clamp my hands tightly over my ears, trying to block out my own anguished screams. Quickly I focus on the third dream, perhaps the most puzzling of them all. Lord Louis III had almost... he almost... to me. It's an awful thought that brings waves of nausea to me. I can still feel his rough hands on my body, touching me in ways he had no right to... I feel dirty because of his touches. Yet I know that no matter how hard I scrubbed, I'd never get rid of the feeling of his hands... his mouth on me. But that's what makes this dream so confusing and disturbing! I know, I **_know_** how real the dream is.. how real his touches were. But at the same time, I know that it was a dream for it **NEVER** happened like that. Oh, the Lord's son did stop me on those stairs that night, but Petite, my gargoyle friend had appeared at the window. Her presence had halted his advances and after the pointed look she gave him, he never tried again. 

Or did he? Elisa had said that it was all a dream... but what if she was wrong? The pain, the guilt, the touches.. they were all too real to be dreams. What if they were real and my memories were the dreams? What is real anymore? What if this isn't real? What if I'm dreaming right now? 

"Oh, mon Dieu aidez-moi," I moan quietly as I fall to my knees, the tears coursing down my wet cheeks. I need help and I'm so confused... Elisa had been there for me before in the dream.. but now... what if that was real and only Elisa was imagined? 

"Lisette?" 

"Brooklyn?" I gasp as I quickly jump to my feet and turn. There, standing behind me with his eyes filled with concern is the brick red gargoyle that I love, his unruly white hair trailing over his shoulders. 

Instantly he moves towards me and enfolds me in his strong arms, his massive wings wrapping around us and shielding me from everything -- everything but my own troubled thoughts. "You're trembling," Brooklyn murmurs, his soft breath rustling my hair. 

"I do not know what is real anymore," I whisper, the tears trailing down my cheeks and onto his soft skin. Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurs to me. "What if you are not real and this is all a dream?!" I cry out, stepping back slightly as I stare up into his dark eyes. 

"Does this feel real to you?" Brooklyn murmurs as he slowly lowers his head and kisses me softly. 

Sighing, I return the kiss with all my heart before slowly pulling away. "I was so scared," I murmur as I lean back into his comforting embrace. 

"I will always be here for you... you're safe now," comes his soothing response, instantly calming my fears and pushing my worries aside. 

"Brooklyn, did you find her?" a low bass voice calls out, breaking in on my thoughts. 

Surprised, I turn away from my love and watch in surprise as our clan alights on the stones before us. "Ah, I see that you did," Goliath continues as he places Elisa lightly on the stones. 

And then I hear more footsteps as David Xanatos, Fox with little Alex in hand, Owen, and Matt Bluestone join us on the tower from the open stairs of the castle below. "What... what are you all doing here?" I ask, my voice filled with the wary hesitation I am feeling. 

"We've come to make sure that what you did to your last clan isn't repeated with us," Elisa responds for the group, her dark eyes glittering. 

"What?!" I cry, taking a step back only to run into the hard planes of Brooklyn's chest, finding scant comfort in his presence now. 

"Well, my dear," Xanatos says with his trademark smirk, causing my skin to crawl, "frankly, with what we heard of how you pretty much decimated your last clan, you've become a liability to us... you're more trouble than you're worth." 

"You cannot mean that!" I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth as tears come to my eyes. Instantly the dying voices of my clan fill my head with their screams of agony and their cries of hatred for what I had caused. Even my own clan knows of my guilt. I am to blame. 

"Your magic is very strong," Owen cuts in, his eyes shooting daggers at me, "yet already you go against my wishes at every chance you get." 

To this, I have no reply as a cold metal quickly pins my arms to my side. More hurt than surprised, I slowly turn my eyes away from the iron chain that now imprisons me and look into the eyes of my love. "Brooklyn," I whisper, my voice choked with tears and heartache, "you are with the others?" 

With eyes gone cold, Brooklyn looks down at the end of the chain he holds and then smiles his crooked smile at me -- a sad smile. "I must protect my clan from all threats... including you." 

"Especially me," I murmur as I stumble to my knees, my tears burning in my eyes and blinding me. All around me on the wind I hear the voices of my dead clan, the roaring of a hot pyre of flame, and the soft moaning of a young man. All filter around me as my heart is shattered once more and as my tears course down. "My fault, my fault," I moan as I crumble the rest of the way to the hard stone floor, the iron chain clattering and grating around me as I curl up into a tiny ball. "Ma faute... ma faute...." 

* * *

"Ma faute.. ma faute..." Lisette murmured as the green veil of magic that surrounded the young mage lightened until it was almost nonexistent. 

"She's not going to make it," Elisa whispered sadly as she turned away from the pale girl and slid into Goliath's arms, tears pooling in her large brown eyes. "Maybe I should take it..." 

"**_NO!!_**" came the resounding answer throughout the room. They all knew what the detective was going to say and none of them wanted her to be suffering anymore than they wanted it for Lisette. 

"Don't give up on her yet," Brooklyn murmured as he leaned forward and gently caressed her soft cheek, her hand held tightly in his own. "I know that you can do it, Lisette. I love you..." 

* * *

"I love you..." the words whisper on the wind, soft yet overpowering the screams of the others. And then, the words of another reach my ears. "... remember... clan... faith......" 

Opening my eyes, I slowly uncurl and climb unsteadily to my knees, my clan standing before me. "This isn't real," I murmur, my eyes raking over their faces... they look so much like they should, but I know now the truth. "None of this is real... I'm still dreaming." 

"And I suppose that you were dreaming when your clan was butchered because of your mistake," Goliath growled, his eyes flaring white. 

Wincing at his words, I quickly close my eyes and search my heart for the truth. Opening them, I then smile at the group, albeit shakily. "You are not my clan and I **_am_** dreaming. My clan would **NEVER** turn against me... my love would not turn from me," I murmur as I stare at the dream Brooklyn. 

"Was the kiss a dream?" he asks, his voice low. 

At his words, I falter for only a moment. "You are not real," I reply, my voice hard and cold. 

"Wasn't the fire real?!" he suddenly booms as the flames appear out of nowhere and begin licking at my body and clothing. 

"You are not real!" I scream even as the intense pain I feel as my skin is sloughed off feels real enough. "You are not real! Not real! Not real!" I begin screaming, tears pouring down my face. "Pas vrai! Rêves, sortez de mon tête!" 

* * *

As the screams erupted from Lisette's throat, the group quickly staggered back in surprise -- save one. "Lisette! Lisette!!" Brooklyn cried as he bolted from his chair and quickly sat on the bed, the mattress giving way under his weight and sending the young woman tumbling into his arms. Instantly her eyes snapped open as tears streamed down her face, giving her the appearance of a caged animal. 

"Laissez-moi tranquille!" she cried as she began striking Brooklyn blindly, her eyes squeezing shut. "Laissez-moi tranquille! Fermez la porte de mes rêves. S'il vous plaît, pas des rêves!" Lisette sobbed brokenly. 

Having no idea what Lisette had just said in her rapid fire French, Brooklyn quickly ignored her small fists and drew her closer to him. "Shh... it's alright," he murmured as he tried to comfort her with his presence. "It's all over now..." 

"Is it?" Lisette broke in, Brooklyn's words of comfort having broken into her hazy thoughts. "What if this is another dream? What if you are not real either?" she cried out, her large blue eyes turning panicked. 

"You can feel this, can't you?" Brooklyn asked quickly as he hugged her tighter, desperate to take away her fear. 

At his words Lisette tore herself out of his strong arms and scurried off of her bed. Gasping, she could feel herself begin to hyperventilate as she saw the clan stare at her in shock... or were they her clan? As a strangled cry escaped her lips, Lisette rushed to an unoccupied corner of the room where she quickly slid to her knees. As the tears streamed down her face and as the sobs wracked her body, the young woman hugged the wall. "I felt the fire, Lord Louis's hands, and your kiss!" she cried out, her body shaking, "but **NONE** of them were real! **NOTHING** is real anymore!!" she screamed, causing tears to flow down Angela's cheeks and looks of horror to appear on the faces of the others. 

"Lisette," Brooklyn cried weakly as he approached his love, his voice broken by seeing her in such emotional and psychological torment. 

"Don't," Owen quickly called out, halting the gargoyle with his intensity. "She has formed an electrified barrier around her." 

Gulping, Brooklyn did as told and stood still, his soft eyes on his love, her body wracked with sobs. "We've got to help her," he moaned as he turned back to the clan, his eyes begging for help. 

Sighing softly, Elisa left Goliath's side and slowly moved till she was standing beside Brooklyn's tall form. "Lisette," she called softly. When she got no response, she unconsciously straightened her shoulders and stood taller. "Lisette!" she called out again, her voice hard. This time she got the response she was looking for as the young woman's head snapped up, her large blue eyes wary. "Don't you remember what I said?" she continued in a softer voice. "You must trust the clan -- have faith in us." 

"I do not think I can," Lisette murmured weakly as she surveyed the clan, "not again. My heart cannot take any more..." 

"Isn't it worth the chance?" Elisa broke in, her brown eyes showing her sincerity. "Isn't it better than being alone, which you will be if you don't take this chance." 

At Elisa's words, Lisette felt her mind clear and the voices of her dead clan fade away. If she took this chance and it all was a dream her heart would surely die a quick death, for she wasn't lying when she said that she couldn't take anymore. Then again, if she didn't trust the clan, her heart would surely suffer the same fate -- only in this case the road would be longer, slower, and more painful. In the end, Elisa was right -- it was worth taking the chance. Still, she knew that she was too far gone to initiate anything, and in the end, the only thing she could do was drop her magical ward before collapsing into a ball of tears. 

Hesitant, Brooklyn waited for Elisa's nod before slowly approaching the devastated woman. When before her, he slowly got to his knees, wary of his touch sending her away, and whispered quietly, "I love you..." Before he even had a chance to finish, Lisette was away from the wall and in his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck. Surprised, he knelt in shock for a brief moment before wrapping his own strong arms around her slim waist. Idly, he heard Goliath and Elisa shepherd everyone from the room as he gently cradled the crying mage into his arms and carried her over to her bed. Moving slowly, he then leaned against her array of fluffed pillows and arranged Lisette so that she was snuggled up against his side, her head lying on his chest as her arms wrapped tightly around him and his around her. 

Even though Lisette had, in truth, been asleep for most of the night, Owen had been right when he said the rest hadn't been peaceful. Now, she felt the drain of the experience and her emotions. "S'il vous plaît... hold me until I am asleep," Lisette murmured as she breathed in Brooklyn's comforting scent. "You will help to keep the nightmares at bay..." 

"I'll be right here, always..." Brooklyn responded as he heard her breathing slow. He just hoped that her sleep would be dreamless -- she deserved the rest. 

* * *

One month later 

Humming softly to herself, Lisette continued to stretch lazily in the empty gym. Standing, she then rolled her shoulders in order to work out any last kinks, her blond pony tail flopping behind her. Sighing, she calmed her emotions before slowly beginning her exercises. Suddenly, her balance was interrupted as someone cleared their throat behind her. Surprised, Lisette turned quickly and found a smile come to her lips as she spotted Owen, dressed in his white karate outfit that served as his workout clothes, standing behind her. "Bon nuit, mon professeur," Lisette called out, her grin growing as she formed a fist and placed it into her open palm, bowing low. 

Owen, as stoic as ever, hid his smile at his student's greeting and bowed in return. "Spending your night from patrol working out?" he asked, arching his eyebrow in a traditional Owen-like manner. 

Smiling slightly, Lisette looked down at her black spandex shorts and halter top and then down at her white tennis shoes and socks. "Whatever gave you that idea?" she laughed as she sunk down in a defensive crouch. "Care to spar with me, monsieur?" she asked, her eyes shining. 

"Oui, bien sûr mademoiselle," Owen replied in a nonchalant voice, shocking the young mage into silence. Seeing that as an opportunity that couldn't be passed up, Owen quickly darted forward and in a flurry of moves flipped the speechless mage lightly to the mats below them. "Never allow your opponent to catch you off guard," he instructed as he held his hand out. 

Shaking her head, Lisette accepted the proffered hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "Touché, sensei," she laughed as she dropped into her defensive crouch once again. "Maintenant," she murmured as she began to circle the wary majordomo, "what really brings you to see me this night?" 

"I... have heard that you have refused Detective Maza's offer once again to clear your memories of the nightmares," he admitted, watching his student's expression closely. 

At the mention of the horrible ordeal that she, Goliath, and Elisa had suffered one short month ago, Lisette's merry blue eyes became haunted. Even now the memories hurt her and caused her heart to shrink with fear. "You have heard correct," she finally acknowledged as she blocked one of Owen's chops and launched her own roundhouse kick. 

As Owen deflected that move, he slowly met the young woman's eyes. "What I want to know is why you keep refusing when it's obvious that the memories pain you." 

Sighing, Lisette slowly straightened and allowed Owen to see the truth reflected from her clear blue eyes. "Because I sincerely believe that an experience like that, no matter how horrible, makes a person stronger when they live through it. The memories are difficult, but they make me a stronger and better person." 

At his student's wise words, it was Owen's turn to be shocked into silence and Lisette's turn to take advantage of his distraction. The end result, of course, was Owen lying on the mats and Lisette helping him up. "I suppose I should follow my own advice," he muttered as he brushed off his white pants. 

Laughing, Lisette planted her hands on her hips and shook her head, her wide blue eyes sparkling. "Oui, monsieur, that would be wise." 

Unable to hold back his own smile, Owen indicated the mats. "Shall we?" he asked as the young woman quickly nodded her agreement and began sparring with him once again. Shaking his head, he realized that if one smile from the precious girl was enough for his cold exterior to crack, then he had indeed allowed her into his heart. He would now risk Oberon's wrath for three people: David and Alexander Xanatos and Lisette, the young French mage. 

* * *

Sighing softly, Elisa snuggled closer into Goliath's embrace as she watched the heavens above. 

"... so the spell was so powerful that it actually created something new to try and destroy her rather than build on her memories?" 

Shaking her head, Elisa once more focused on her and Goliath's conversation. "Yes... the spell was thrown off when I entered the equation and needed to up the arsenal on her." 

At Elisa's words, Goliath felt himself shiver in the cool night air, simultaneously drawing Elisa's warm body closer to his side as his wing draped around them both. For some reason the library had seemed oppressive this night and soon the couple had found themselves sitting on the parapet that lined the highest tower, their legs dangling over the edge. "The way you talk," Goliath murmured, "it's as though the spell was a sentient being capable of malicious thought..." 

"It acted as though it was," Elisa agreed as she idly picked out the bright constellations. "But there is one thing that I have learned from this whole mess..." 

"To never let you go?" Goliath murmured as he leaned down and brushed a kiss against her raven locks. 

Sighing happily, Elisa snuggled closer. "Exactly," she agreed as she turned to stare up into Goliath's onyx eyes. "Promise me something," she whispered, her brown eyes bright and shining with love. 

"Anything," was Goliath's immediate reply. 

"Promise to love me forever..." 

"Always," Goliath murmured as he bent low and caught her soft lips with his own. _Always and forever..._  


**THE END**


	12. Hope -- Part One

**"Hope -- Part One"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 08/22/99

Revised on: 11/17/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. The characters of Talika, Lisette, and Caleb on the other hand, are of the author's creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the first part of the ninth installment of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: Hope is the one thing that everyone needs -- something that most can't live without and the one thing that someone will sell their soul for. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

**_Hope -- Part One_**

  
"Please," Caleb pleaded as he fell to his knees before his savior... his master. "I know that you have the power to bring her back to me! Please, help me to do this," he begged to the only being that he would ever beg to. "I'm not complete without her," he murmured as his bright blue eyes filled with unshed tears. 

Sighing, the being slowly reclined into the shadows and pondered the protector's request. The man was very powerful, and while Caleb owed a favor, it wanted more... it wanted to control the power that the protector possessed. "I do have the power to return her to you... but what will you give me in return?" 

Sighing quietly Caleb hunched lower. He knew what his savior asked of him. Though his soul begged him for Light, he had embraced the Darkness for too long now. Without his savior, the Dark Matter that the witch had buried into his chest would have killed him for eternity. And this was his final step in the descent. "I swear my loyalty to you for eternity if you will bring her back to me." 

At the man's words, a wicked smile formed on its lips. "For your eternal loyalty, I shall restore Hope to your life." 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Stifling his yawn, Goliath slowly stretched his massive wings as he greeted the new night. Smiling, he looked down and watched as his daughter joined Broadway and Brooklyn on the parapet, their voices lost on the wind as Lisette in gargoyle form joined them a moment later. As one, the group then dove off into the dark night sky, obviously eager to get their patrol started. Shaking his head, he idly wondered if the patrol team had anything to do with their enthusiasm. He believed so, which was why he had assigned the four to patrol together before sunrise that morning. 

"What? Aren't you even going to kiss me good evening?" a playful voice called out from behind him. 

His smile only grew as Goliath turned and hopped down from the parapet, his dark eyes brightened with love. "There will always be a kiss waiting for you," Goliath murmured as he took Elisa into his arms and kissed her lightly. 

"Hmmm," Elisa sighed as she snuggled into his warm embrace. "Now that's more like it." 

Smiling softly, Goliath relished in the feeling of her small body wrapped in his arms for a moment more before brushing a soft kiss against her raven locks. "I was not expecting you this evening... I thought you were working," he murmured as she smiled impishly at him, her eyes twinkling. 

"I am -- Matt's waiting down in the car," she said, laughing slightly at Goliath's bemused expression. "I wanted to catch you before you went patrolling with Lex to make sure that we're still on for dinner tomorrow night at my place," she explained quickly. 

"I wouldn't miss it," was Goliath's immediate rumbled reply as he gently caressed her soft cheek with his hand. "Angela and Lisette are planning on doing something just the two of them while the trio goes out on patrol..." 

"So you're all mine?" Elisa interrupted with a wicked grin. 

"All yours," Goliath confirmed with twinkling eyes. He _liked_ it when Elisa got that look in her eyes, for it always meant that it would be a night to remember. 

* * *

As the cool night wind carried the gargoyles high over the bustling city, the conversation was lively and animated. From movies, to memories, to gossip of the clan, the talking was incessant as their eyes constantly roamed the streets below, scanning for trouble. And then, the group slowly became aware of a strange pounding as the conversation died away. 

"What _is_ that?" Angela asked with wide eyes as she followed the sound down to a squat building nestled among others. Curious, she glided down until she was settled on the roof of a building across the street. With wide eyes, she watched as dozens of humans her own age milled outside of the building before being admitted by a large and intimidating man that stood before the sole door. Each time the heavy wood swung open to admit more men and women the booming became louder as strange flashing and colored lights could be seen from within. 

"It's music from the nightclub," Brooklyn replied as he, Broadway, and Lisette landed behind the gargess. Only Lisette's pale blue face mirrored Angela's wide-eyed amazement. 

"What is a... night... club?" Lisette asked, her eyes trained on all of the people, so obviously filled with happiness and excitement. 

"It's a place where younger humans go to dance and have fun," Broadway explained slowly, not understanding what so fascinated the girls. 

"Dancing?" Angela whispered softly, her eyes bright. "Why, Princess Katherine and the Magus taught my rookery brothers, sisters, and I how to dance!" 

"For some reason, I doubt that it's the same kind of dancing!" Brooklyn laughed, punching Broadway lightly as they burst out laughing. 

Nodding his head, Broadway quickly wiped away his tears of laughter. "Can you just imagine these two at one of these?" he added. "They would stick out like a sore talon!" he cried, laughing and completely missing the miffed look that flashed across the girls' faces. 

"And why is that?" Lisette asked indignantly as she straightened her shoulders and stood tall beside her friend, sensing that the dark-haired gargess shared her growing anger. 

Noticing this, Broadway quickly tried to signal his unobservant rookery brother to stop before he unknowingly made matters worse -- all to no avail. Cringing, he watched as the anger burned in their eyes as Brooklyn pounded in the final nail into their shared coffin. 

"Well, if you ignore the whole being a gargoyle aspect," Brooklyn answered with a grin, missing Broadway's frantic signals, "there's still the fact that you two are the most innocent and naive people I know! You'd just get... into... trouble..." Brooklyn trailed off as he finally noticed his love's anger. "Uh oh," he mumbled, instantly contrite and wishing he could take back his thoughtless words. 

"Well, I think that I have heard just about enough!" Angela fumed, her large eyes glowing red in fury. 

"Come Angela," Lisette added, her own eyes glowing green, "let us finish the patrol on our own." 

"Yes," Angela agreed as she turned her back to her love and followed her friend to the edge of the roof, "we would not want to cause these _worldly_ gargoyles any trouble with our naiveté!" she called out as the two gargesses launched themselves into the night sky, their bodies rigid with anger. 

"Whoops... we really blew that one," Brooklyn groaned as his love disappeared from sight into the dark night. 

Sighing, Broadway slowly shook his head. "You could say that again," he muttered as he turned to his brother. "Well, do we go after them?" 

Pausing, Brooklyn slowly shook his head. "Nah, let's let them cool off for awhile first," he suggested as he turned and walked to the other end of the roof and launched himself into the night air in the _opposite_ direction Angela and Lisette had gone. 

"Good idea," Broadway muttered as he quickly followed. An angry gargess was the last thing he _ever_ wanted to face if given the choice. Doing such a thing just wasn't beneficial to a gargoyle's health. 

* * *

Stretching his stiff back, he slowly looked out over the bustling city, Manhattan at its best. Smiling, he took in a large lungful of air... and quickly coughed it back out as the smog caused his chest to constrict painfully. Smiling wryly, he realized that no matter how grimy New York City got, the Alps would always be a good place for healing and recuperating but it would never beat home. It was good to be home. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Sighing, Lisette slowly laid back on her large bed and glared up at the dark canopy. The night had been a long one of constant patrolling, both too stubborn and angry to go back and face their loves. Now, with sunrise only a few minutes away, Lisette found herself regretting some of her anger. "We are _not_ naive," she grumbled as she propped herself on her elbows and glanced across the room at Angela who stood quietly on her balcony, the morning breeze ruffling her long brown braid. 

"What do you suppose that nightclub is like?" Angela asked as she turned her wistful brown eyes to her friend. Smiling softly, she watched as the look of anger and sadness on her friend's kind face was instantly replaced by a look of wonder. 

"Oh, it must be amazing!" Lisette whispered as Angela crossed the room and lay beside her friend on the large bed. "If the humans go there willingly then it must be wonderful!" 

Sighing, Angela couldn't help but agree with her friend as her eyes traced the pattern on the canopy above. Something fun... it just seemed so unfair that she could never try or enjoy something that was so enjoyable for others. "I wish that we could go to this nightclub -- just once to see what it is like," Angela whispered, her expression saddened by the thought that she'd never be able to make her wish come true. 

Lisette, on the other hand, brightened considerably upon hearing her friend's quiet words as she quickly sat up and turned to her friend, her face flushed with excitement. "Why do we not both go to this nightclub tonight?" she asked eagerly as Angela slowly sat up as well. 

Smiling a small smile that she didn't quite feel, the gargess slowly shook her head, her brown braid slapping against her shoulders. "The boys, oddly enough, did have one good point: I am a gargoyle. I could not enter into a human establishment..." 

"But I could turn you into a human!" Lisette interrupted quickly, her eyes shining as she jumped off of her bed and pulled Angela to her feet. "Puck was bragging about how he turned all of the humans in Manhattan into gargoyles and vice versa for the clan and then he taught Alex and I the spell!!" 

"Really?" Angela gasped in amazement. The idea of being human, even if only for a night, was so mind boggling that it was beyond her. Yet, at the same time, the idea was strangely alluring. 

"Yes, I think so," Lisette gasped as she glanced at the rising sun. "But if you want to do this then we must hurry! I should cast the spell just as you are encased in stone so that you will still get your stone sleep." 

Turning, Angela regarded the rising sun and felt a brief moment of indecision. "Do it," she finally decided as she got down on one knee and draped her wings over her shoulders in preparation for stone sleep. 

Nodding, Lisette didn't waste time on words as she quickly focused on the powerful energies swirling within her. "Um... thy sight myself doth offend?... so.... Lisette will hasten to amend," Lisette murmured, stumbling over the words as she realized just how inappropriate they were for the time. Ignoring Angela's bemused expression, she quickly continued. "Angela, gargoyle born, be no more as you were formed!" As the final words were cast, the magic quickly coalesced into a powerful shield of green that encircled the surprised gargess just as she was sealed in her stone sleep, showing no change. 

And then, with the spell complete, Lisette felt the drain of the powerful magic as she stumbled to her large bed. "Oh là là," she moaned, fully realizing for the first time how powerful and draining the innocent spell had been as the world dimmed around her and as she fell into a deep sleep. 

* * *

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Brooklyn and Broadway spread their wings and took on ferocious poses. "They're really mad," Brooklyn muttered between bared fangs. 

"Yeah, let's hope they're over it by..." Broadway broke off as the bright sun finally made an appearance, sealing them both in stone for the day. 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

Humming softly to herself, Elisa turned away from the pan of sizzling chicken on the stove before her to regard the setting sun. Smiling, she quickly turned away and hurried over to the large pot of boiling fettuccine noodles. Suddenly, a cold feeling slithered up her spine, stopping her in her tracks -- something was not right about the coming evening. But then, just as quickly as the feeling had appeared it was gone again. Puzzled, Elisa quickly shook the thought from her mind as she went to check on the bubbling alfredo sauce, its garlicky smell tempting her taste buds even as thoughts of Goliath warmed her heart. 

* * *

"I warn you now, Protector," the being murmured as it glared at Caleb's eager form. "Bringing Hope back into your life will not be easy and it will take some time." 

"I understand," Caleb murmured as he tried to contain his impatience. Sighing, he turned away from his savior as it began the process. For Hope, he would do anything -- even sell his eternal soul into darkness. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Sensing that sunset was drawing close, Lisette slowly opened her heavy eyes as the last traces of her deep sleep drifted away. Yawning, she then crawled off of her large bed and glanced down distastefully at her rumpled dress. Shrugging her shoulders, she then turned and rested her eyes on Angela's stone form. Even as a statue, the young gargess radiated a feeling of excitement; excitement that soon became contagious as Lisette eagerly watched the sun set. 

And then the moment was upon her as Angela's stone skin began to crack. Grinning widely, Lisette watched in wide-eyed amazement as the layer of stone suddenly burst out in a flash of bright light, laughing gaily as the sharp stone particles clattered against her and to the floor, revealing the young woman within. "Angela, we did it!" Lisette cried out happily as she clapped her hands together excitedly and admired her handiwork. "You're beautiful," she murmured as the young woman standing before her indeed was. With soft, creamy skin and a clear complexion, long and soft brown hair secured in a loose braid that haloed her face, and sparking brown eyes over rosy lips, Angela was indeed an enchanting figure. Plus, with a curvy and vivacious figure that the American culture seemed to worship, Lisette knew that she would be a hit. 

"I'm a human?" Angela gasped in amazement as she stared down at her pinkish-beige five-fingered hands. Shaking her head, Angela quickly stumbled into her friend's large bathroom and admired her new body. Despite all of the changes that had been made, her same brown eyes stared back at her. Suddenly, a large smile curved her lips as she turned back to her friend. "Now what?" she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously. 

"Now we get ready!" Lisette cried out with a matching smile as she pulled her friend to her large armoire which was overflowing with clothing. The two were about the same size, Angela being a little more curvaceous, meaning that the bundles of clothing Fox had bought for her would work for Angela as well. 

"I think that I am going to enjoy this!" was Angela's immediate reply. 

* * *

Parapets 

Yawning, Brooklyn shook the dusty stone particles from his long white hair as he hopped down from his perch. Instantly memories of the events of the previous night flooded his mind. Groaning, the brick-red gargoyle realized that his love wasn't waiting for him to awaken, which meant that... 

"They must still be mad at us," Broadway groaned as he stepped beside his rookery brother, trying his best to ignore Lexington's snickering at their plight. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn winced at his friend's words -- he had been thinking the same thing. "But Lisette can usually never stay mad for that long," Brooklyn mumbled as Hudson shook his head with a smile and headed into the castle. 

"Angela either," Broadway mumbled morosely. 

Laughing, Lexington quickly shook his head. "Well, don't you think that now would be a good time to apologize and beg for their forgiveness?" he asked, his dark eyes twinkling, having heard about the couples' falling out the night before. 

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Come on Broadway," he muttered as he began trudging for the castle, "let's go humble ourselves before them and get this over with..." 

Groaning, Broadway was about to agree when Goliath thudded to the stones behind him. "And where are you two going?" he rumbled, one eye ridge raising as he awaited an answer. 

"To talk to..." Brooklyn trailed off as Goliath curtly shook his head. 

"Later," he interrupted. "I want you three to get moving on your patrol." 

"But..." Broadway began before Goliath cut him off as well. 

"Now," Goliath ordered as he turned and stepped onto the parapet. "I will be at Elisa's if you need me," he added before diving off into the cool night. 

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly met Broadway's eyes as they turned away from the castle and stepped slowly onto the parapets. "Apologize after patrol?" he asked as they both dove off into the sky, Lexington's laughter ringing out around them. 

* * *

Stretching his wings, his dark eyes slowly roved lovingly over his city, like a soft lover's caress. "Tonight, I shall see what changes the humans have made to my city in the few years I have been away," he murmured as he dove off of the roof of his new home and into the cool night sky. It truly was great to be home. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Smiling, Lisette and Angela admired their handiwork in the tall, full length mirror in her bathroom. "How do we look?" Angela asked critically as she nervously smoothed the new clothing. After a lengthy debate, the gargess-turned-human had finally decided on a pair of black leather pants that fit her like a glove, easily showing off her curves and long legs. On top she wore a soft white cotton halter top that ended above her bare stomach with thin spaghetti straps. With her long brown hair fastened back in her traditional braid, a few small wisps framing her face, a simple silver chain with a moon pendant around her neck, a dainty silver bracelet on her wrist, and black ankle boots her outfit was complete. 

"According to those magazines, we look perfect," Lisette answered as she admired her own lean form. After much debate the young mage had finally decided on a simple black dress with thin straps that hugged her slim curves and ended mid-thigh with two slits up each side allowing room for movement. Over the top she wore a gauzy, white long sleeve shirt that she left undone. To complete the outfit she wore a black choker, her pale blond hair hanging loose over her shoulders and down her back and small, strappy sandals. Since both girls had great complexions, the only make-up that they wore was a small bit of lip gloss, only adding to their natural beauty. 

Grinning, Angela quickly met Lisette's bright blue eyes that sparkled with excitement in the mirror. "Shall we go then?" she asked as she played absently with the end of her long braid, her nervous smile growing. 

"Let's!" Lisette agreed as she quickly raised her arms above her head. A second later they disappeared in a bright flash of green light. 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

Shaking his head, Goliath couldn't help the small smile that lifted his lips as he landed gently on the balcony area outside of Elisa's large bank of windows. Before him sat a patio table covered in a heavy white table cloth with gleaming white dishes set for two. As the soft violin strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D drifted around him, Goliath stepped closer to the table and saw that a steaming pot and covered basket that wafted delicious scents sat amidst two candles whose flames danced upon two crystal glasses filled with sparkling champagne. Smiling, he gently lifted one of the delicate glasses by the stem and sniffed the contents. 

"You've never had alcohol before, let alone champagne, have you?" a soft, yet achingly familiar voice asked from behind him. 

Turning, Goliath felt his reply freeze in his mouth as he drank in the sight before him. Elisa looked like some sort of exotic goddess with her silky black hair trailing down her back, her eyes sparkling... and wearing a floor-length slinky red dress with simple spaghetti straps in a material that clung to her body and showed off her every curve. He was _positive_ that he had never seen the dress -- it was simply one that couldn't be forgotten. Actually, Goliath was convinced that the dress was probably on the police's most wanted list in some states as being a lethal weapon. Elisa not only looked beautiful and gorgeous, for the words were no longer quite right, but instead stunning and ravishing. With that thought, Goliath finally managed to close his gaping mouth, which no doubt had been hanging open for the last few minutes as Elisa relished in his feverish stare. "Uh, no," Goliath finally murmured, wondering briefly at his higher than usual voice. "No," he repeated, getting his voice down to normal levels, "I do not believe so." 

Laughing, Elisa finished off the distance between them in three long strides, revealing a long slit up one leg in the process. "Good," she murmured as she reached up and kissed him lightly, his hands playing with her glossy hair. "That means that it'll take even less time to get you drunk so that I can take advantage of you," she murmured in a low and husky voice as her eyes sparkled with laughter as she pulled away and slipped into the soft chair opposite of his. 

Smiling wryly, Goliath took his seat and watched in amused silence as Elisa began uncovering the feast that she had prepared. Instantly, his nose was assaulted with a multitude of tantalizing scents that caused his mouth to water and his stomach to rumble quietly. 

"I hope that you like chicken fettuccine alfredo," Elisa said with a smile, her musical voice dancing over the Italian words and blending with their favorite classical song. 

"It certainly smells as though I will," Goliath replied as he accepted a steaming breadstick that was smothered in a rich and creamy garlic butter. Smiling, Goliath knew that the night would be as good as the food promised to be. 

* * *

Over Manhattan 

Brooklyn could easily feel the difference between the patrol this night and the one from the night before. At first Lexington had tried to involve he and Broadway in conversation, but as the wind whistled in between the tall buildings, it quickly became apparent that conversation was a lost cause. But Brooklyn couldn't help it -- his thoughts were too focused on Lisette and his thoughtless words from the night before. Inherently he knew that if either of the even-tempered girls had been angered alone then the results would have been less drastic. But together, Angela and Lisette only fueled each other's anger, adding to he and Broadway's predicament. 

Suddenly, a bright flash of green light from an alley below broke the young second from his thoughts. Surprised, he noted that they were right over the night club from the night before as he turned to his rookery brothers. Seeing that they had seen the flash as well, Brooklyn quickly led the way down to a roof that overlooked the alley to investigate. 

What he saw below surprised him to the point that he almost fell off of the roof. "Lisette?!" he gasped, trying to close his mouth at her _short_ skirt and the two slits that showed off her shapely legs. And then his eyes moved on to the girl that was sauntering towards the nightclub with Lisette.. and felt his eyes bug out even further. "**_ANGELA?!?_**" he cried out at the same time as Broadway and Lex. 

"She.. she's human!" Broadway gasped, taking in his love's new appearance. Gulping, he realized that even as a human with no wings and tail, his love was stunning with a figure that made his heart pound and his mouth go dry. 

"We gotta stop them," Brooklyn croaked as he grabbed Broadway's blue arm. 

Nodding quickly, he was about to agree when Lexington burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Broadway growled, his eyes flaring as he turned to glare at the small green gargoyle. 

Unimpressed, Lexington quickly shook his head. "You should've seen the looks on your faces!" he laughed. 

"This isn't funny!" Broadway quickly snapped. "Angela and Lisette are too naïve and trusting to be doing something like this! They could get hurt!" 

"And you don't think that we were just like them when we got here?" Lex quickly bit back, his mind wandering back to his own experience with the Pack. "We had to figure it out for ourselves!" 

"Yeah, and look at all the trouble that we got into..." Broadway trailed off. 

"And got out of..." 

"This time it's different," Brooklyn finally interrupted. "We were gargoyles and scared off most of the humans and those we didn't we could handle. They both look human and _no_ one would be afraid of them." 

Sighing, Lexington could see their point and frowned when he turned back to the girls. "Well, it's too late now," he muttered as he pointed at the two who were busy mingling with the humans. "It would be bad for the PR for a gargoyle to be seen kidnapping two humans." 

Groaning, Brooklyn slowly hunched down and watched his love through slitted eyes. "Then we stay here and make sure that they get back to the castle alright."

* * *

Laughing, Angela and Lisette made their way through the thick crowd towards the burly man that guarded the front door. Already the excitement was high as the music pulsed around them, the young humans chattering aimlessly. Occasionally a word was exchanged and the two young women noticed more than a few appreciative looks from the guys. And then they were standing before the massive guard, his large muscles bulging beneath his tight tee-shirt. Gulping, Lisette realized that she had _never_ seen such a large human in her life! He even managed to make the mighty Romans look like saplings! 

"Ten bucks a piece," the man said, nodding at the girls with his arms crossed over his chest in a no-nonsense manner. 

"Ten... bucks?" Lisette asked blankly before catching sight of the wad of five and ten dollar bills that the man clutched in one large fist. "Oh, ten _DOLLARS!_" Lisette cried with a large smile. Turning, she quickly glanced into Angela's worried eyes. "Do you have twenty... bucks?" she asked, winking at her friend. 

"Uh... yes I do?" Angela asked, confusion briefly marring her features as Lisette quickly reached out and gripped her hand tightly. A second later, Angela felt her hand begin to tickle as a bright green light seeped between their clasped hands. Understanding, she watched as her mage friend withdrew a crisp twenty dollar bill. 

"Thank you mon amie!" Lisette cried with a bright smile, turning back to the man. Grinning broadly she handed the bill to him. "For the both of us, monsieur," she stated as she grabbed Angela's hand and pulled her through the door... and then stopped in her tracks. "Qu'est-ce que c'est..." 

Angela had much the same reaction as the music became so loud that she could feel the lively beat moving within her. To her left she saw a long counter that stretched along the wall with numerous men and women working behind it, mixing and passing out drinks to customers. Before them stretched a cluster of tables, all hidden under the cover of darkness. But beyond that... that was what truly caught her attention. 

Taking up the majority of the rather small building was a dance floor that was packed with humans, all hidden under the cover of darkness save for a strange flickering white light that made all of the dancers look as though they were moving in a strange and disjointed fashion. Being too loud to speak, Angela caught her friend's excited eyes and nodded to the dance floor. 

Instead of replying, though, Lisette quickly grabbed Angela's hand and began pulling her through the cluster of humans till they were both standing on the crowded dance floor. And then they lost themselves to the pulsing music as the powerful beat consumed them. 

* * *

Sighing softly, the Being, Caleb's savior, leaned weakly back into its throne as it regarded the protector through steeped fingers. "It's done," it murmured, its eyes glittering in the dark light. "Your Hope has been restored to where she belongs." 

"But," Caleb gasped in confusion as he glanced at his desolate surroundings, "I don't see my daughter anywhere!" he cried, his blue eyes flashing in anger. "You promised to resurrect my daughter to me!" Caleb roared, his anger building rapidly. 

"No. I said that I would restore her to where she belongs," his savior answered calmly. 

"But..." Caleb trailed off. "Hope is with Talika?..." he sputtered as cold realization dawned on him. Suddenly, his face hardened as he clenched his fist angrily. "Well, not for long!" 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

Smiling, Elisa rose gracefully from her chair and crossed around the table before depositing herself in Goliath's lap. "Hmm," she whispered as she nestled her head against her love's smooth chest, careful not to bump the table that sat so close beside her, "did you enjoy dinner?" 

"The food was delicious," Goliath admitted as he wrapped his strong arms around her dainty form, "but the company was even better..." 

Giggling softly, Elisa quickly turned her neck away from Goliath's teasing kisses as a soft piano tinkled and swelled around them. "Ah, I love this song," Elisa murmured. "_Oceans apart, day after day,_" she sang softly as Goliath held her closer, "_and I slowly go insane. I hear your voice on the line, but it doesn't stop the pain_." 

Surprised, Goliath sat back in his chair and found himself surprised at how beautiful Elisa's voice was. He had never before heard his love sing and the sultry low voice surprised him to no end. She was indeed beautiful in every way as her beautiful voice mingled with the cascading piano. 

"_If I see you next to never how can we say forever_?" Elisa continued, a small smile playing on her lips. "_Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you,_" she half whispered, half sang the chorus as she looked into his dark eyes. "_I took for granted all the times that I thought would last somehow. I hear the laughter. I taste the tears. But I can't get near you now. Oh can't you see it baby?_" she crooned as she laughed and snuggled closer. "_You've got me going crazy! Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes or how my heart breaks I will be right here waiting for you. I wonder how we can survive this romance, but in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance,_" Elisa vowed, meaning every word that she spoke. "_Oh can't you see it baby? You've got me going crazy! Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes or how my...._" 

Suddenly Elisa's soft voice was cut off as Goliath pressed his lips to hers. Surprised, it took her but a moment to react to his passion and his soft caresses against her bare back, but then she was returning the kiss full force as her small fingers played in his thick hair. Idly, she relished in the sweet mix of garlic and wine that she tasted on his lips. 

Suddenly, the soft tinkling of a small child's laughter caused Elisa to draw back quickly as though burned, her brown eyes wide and her face pale. 

"What was that?" Goliath asked in confusion as Elisa bolted from his lap, her breath leaving her in huge gasps. Concern instantly tightened his heart as it looked as though his love was about to hyperventilate. "Elisa..." he trailed off as the quiet laughter rang out over the music once again, this time distinctly coming from Elisa's shadowed apartment. Before Goliath could get out a warning though, Elisa was off like a shot. 

As a mixture between disbelief and wild hope filled her pounding heart, Elisa tore into her apartment from the balcony and flipped on the first light switch she came to, flooding the apartment with light. But what she saw was enough to stop her in her tracks and cause her to fall weakly to her knees. "Hope!" she gasped in a strangled voice as the little four year old's curly blond head snapped up and away from the cat she had been playing with to regard her with sparkling blue eyes. 

"Mommy!" the little girl cried out as she jumped to her feet, her white sundress swishing around her, and hurled herself into her mother's arms. 

Gasping, Elisa felt the tears pour down her cheeks as she clutched the little angel to her that she hadn't held since near the beginning of time. Turning, she met Goliath's shocked eyes. "My baby's back..." 

* * *

Roof opposite nightclub 

Sighing, Brooklyn watched as Lexington slowly began juggling several small pebbles that he had found, doing anything to staunch his growing boredom. Groaning, the red gargoyle turned his attention back to the hopping nightclub. "I wonder what they're doing right now..." 

* * *

Nightclub 

As the pounding beat thrummed in their bodies, Angela and Lisette found themselves moving instinctively to the music. Soon, two attractive human males found their way to the girls' sides and began moving in sync with them. 

Suddenly, one of the guys leaned forward and yelled to be heard over the music. Unable to hear a word he said, Lisette laughed and shrugged her dainty shoulders. Both of the guys looked to be around her and Angela's ages, one with short and curly brown hair while the one she was dancing with had midnight black hair that was short and spiked softly. Both were lean and fit, cute, and seemed really nice... yet Lisette found herself wishing that her red-beaked boyfriend was the one dancing with her right now. 

Suddenly, the guy cupped his hand and brought it to his lips as though he were drinking from a glass. Quickly, Lisette understood his question in a flash and nodded her head as she grabbed Angela and followed the two guys over to a shadowed table. 

"Are you thirsty?!" the guy asked again, including Angela in the question. 

Instantly both girls nodded their heads as the guys produced two glasses filled with a dark liquid. "Thank you!" Lisette called out as she accepted one of the full glasses, her face flushed. 

"What is it?" Angela called out as she accepted her glass. 

Turning, the two guys exchanged subtle looks before the brunette answered. "You'll like it! Trust me!" 

Shrugging her shoulders, Lisette smiled her thanks before bringing the cup to her lips and downing the contents of the cup, soothing her parched throat. Sighing, she decided that their new friends were right and that the tangy drink WAS good as she placed her empty cup on the table. Glancing up, she saw that Angela had finished her drink as well and was eagerly nodding at the dance floor. Laughing, Lisette quickly grabbed her friend's hand as they rushed back to the floor, their new friends right behind them. 

* * *

Elisa's apartment 

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Elisa pulled back slightly and stared into her daughter's bright blue eyes that were clouded with confusion. "How in the name of the Creator can you **BE** here?!" Elisa gasped as she quickly pulled her daughter close in another hug, almost afraid that the little girl would disappear from before her, some cosmically cruel joke. 

Laughing her small laugh that sounded like bells on a clear morning, Hope quickly shook her small head. "You're silly, Mommy!" she giggled as her small hands played with her mommy's pretty hair. 

Smiling, Elisa could only reach forward and kiss her daughter gently on her small forehead. Shaking her head, she turned her daughter so that she could see her love for the first time who stood off to the side. Smiling, she saw that her daughter merely blinked at the large gargoyle in child-like wonder. "Sweetie, I would like you to meet Goliath. He's a... special friend of Mommy's," Elisa explained with an apologetic smile at her love. 

"Hi!" Hope cried out with a bright smile before turning back to her mother. "Mommy, where's Daddy?" 

"Uh... Daddy is..." Elisa trailed off as she threw Goliath a panicked look. In reply, he could only shrug his shoulders. "Um... Hope, what is the last thing you do remember before you came here?" she finally asked. 

At this, Hope's expression brightened even further. "I died an' went to Heaven!" she said in the most matter-of-fact voice a child could muster. "I really missed you an' Daddy," she babbled, her blue eyes shining, "but it was so nice up there that it was okay. An' then Daddy had someone bring me back an' the... the..." she faltered as she searched for the word that she wanted. 

"The Creator?" Elisa supplied, knowing only as a mother could what that illusive word was. 

"Yep, the Creator told me to tell my mommy..." she trailed off as her eyes sparkled with laughter, "to take good care of me an' to... watch out for Daddy!" Hope finished proudly, happy that she remembered the **LONG** message. Smiling and without giving her mommy a chance to respond, Hope continued breathlessly. "So, where's Daddy?" 

Biting her lip, Elisa pushed all thoughts away and focused on her daughter's single question. "Hope, honey... after you went away Daddy and I... well, Daddy changed..." 

"Changed?" Hope asked, scrunching her brow in confusion as Cagney, the gray cat from before curled up in her lap. Giggling in delight, the little girl quickly forgot her mommy's strange words as she began petting the cat. "He's just like Artemis was!" she laughed as she picked up the large cat in her small hands and stumbled away from her mommy. 

Sighing, Elisa watched her daughter with loving eyes as Goliath held his hand out to her. "Artemis?" he asked as he pulled Elisa to her feet, her satiny dress smoothing out around her. 

Smiling wryly, Elise flashed back into her normal outfit of blue jeans, a black tee-shirt, and her favorite red bomber jacket almost without thought. "I guess you could say that I've always been a cat lover," Elisa replied with a small smile. "Artemis was our first cat..." she trailed off as she noticed Goliath's concerned gaze. "What is it, Big Guy?" she asked, reverting back to her favorite nickname for her love. 

"Are... are you positive that.. she is.." he murmured, wary of upsetting his love with what could be considered a thoughtless question. 

"Hope?" Elisa asked with a small smile, instantly dispelling Goliath's fears. "Yes, I'm sure that somehow she is my daughter." 

"Then Caleb was not destroyed," Goliath murmured, his eyes growing dim as a frown tugged at his lips. 

"Apparently not... but there is **NO WAY** that he has the kind of power to pull this off!" Elisa whispered fiercely, trying to keep her voice down and failing miserably. "We now both have equal power, the power level that we started at, meaning that if I couldn't do it before when I had both of our powers combined, then he definitely can't do it now with half the power that I had!" 

"So whoever saved Caleb before and supplied him with the dark matter and the white stone had the power to bring Hope back to life as well?" Goliath asked slowly, fear tightening his heart. Shaking his head, Goliath quickly focused on something else. "And even if this person did have the power to resurrect Hope for Caleb, why is she here?" 

"Whatever the reason, it had to be an accident," Elisa murmured as she watched her daughter play, worry evident in her eyes. 

"Which means that he'll be coming," Goliath finished grimly, remembering all to well what had been the aftermath of Caleb's last visit. Elisa, Matt, Brooklyn, and Lisette had all almost been destroyed -- and now it could happen again. 

As if reading his mind, Elisa quickly stepped forward and lifted Goliath's hand to her cheek, her dark eyes boring into his. "There will be trouble for the clan if we stay.. Hope and I should leave now before he comes," she murmured. 

"No," Goliath said quickly as he drew Elisa into a hug. "You are clan and a clan never deserts its brethren. We will stand beside you," he murmured, his eyes caressing her and proudly showing his love for her. 

Suddenly Hope's infectious laughter rang out around them. Smiling, Elisa quickly stepped away and met her daughter's sparkling blue eyes. Surprised, she realized that the girl's laughter was directed at herself. 

"Why you wearing pants like Daddy?" she giggled as she brought her hands up to cover her little mouth. "You look silly!" she laughed as she eyed her mommy's form fitting blue jeans. 

Shaking her head, Elisa couldn't help but laugh as well as she snapped her fingers and was engulfed in bright green light. A second later Elisa was daintily brushing away invisible particles from her royal garb that signified her royal personae. Smiling, she patted her royal blue halter and veily skirt and looked up to meet her daughter's sparkling eyes. "Is this better?" she asked with a small grin. 

"Mommy!" was Hope's delighted cry as she launched herself into the arms of the mommy that she remembered so well. 

Laughing, Elisa quickly scooped the small girl into her arms, remembering all to well how long it had been since she had last experienced this simple pleasure. Smiling, she turned and watched Goliath's smile grow at her own obvious happiness. For when she lost her child, there was forever a part of her heart that had died and was empty -- for the first time since her love had known her, her heart was finally whole -- **SHE** was whole once more. 

Smiling, Goliath began turning off lights as he headed for the balcony, Elisa trailing behind with Hope in her arms. "We better go back to the castle," Goliath suggested as they stepped into the cool night air. "Perhaps Xanatos has some device up his sleeve to protect against..." Goliath trailed off as he noticed the little girl scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes. Beginning to grow uncomfortable under the little four year old's intense gaze, Goliath found himself beginning to fidget nervously. 

"You have wings," Hope finally announced, her eyes growing wide as she pulled out of her mommy's arms and gently poked the large wings that mommy's friend had draped around him. "Does that mean you can fly like the birdies?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement. 

Smiling gently down at the little angel that held no fear of him or his differences, Goliath allowed one of her little hands to clasp around one of his fingers, careful of his sharp talon. "Not quite like a bird," he admitted with a small smile, knowing that the little girl wouldn't quite understand that they glided on currents of air. 

"Can we fly with you?" Hope asked quickly, her eyes shining with her namesake. 

Instantly Goliath knew that his heart belonged to the little angel standing before him. With her shining blue eyes, curly blond hair, and bright smile, the girl could melt even the coldest of hearts. Smiling, he quickly turned to his love who nodded her consent. "Yes, we can all glide to the castle," Goliath replied as the girl quickly ran and jumped into her mommy's arms. 

"Yeah!" she cried out as the large... friend, walked forward and lifted her mommy into his arms, her cradled within. And then, Goliath... she was pretty sure that was his name, stepped onto the ledge and dove off into the dark sky. Instantly, a terrified and delighted scream escaped Hope's tiny lips, echoing back and forth across the bustling city. 

* * *

Nightclub 

As the music pounded around her, Lisette slowly felt herself lose control as she jumped and moved to the powerful beat. Before she even knew what was happening, the guy with the midnight black hair was pressing himself against her as they moved to the music, his hands on her bare thighs as Lisette ran her hands up the course of her body, over the black material of her dress, and twisted in her blond hair. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that things weren't right and that she shouldn't be dancing this way -- he shouldn't have his hands loosely clasped around the small of her back, his hips moving closely in sync with hers as their bodies grinded against each other. But that wasn't all that was wrong, _she_ was wrong! Her mind felt fuzzy and it was hard for her to think straight. And then the feelings intensified as her dancing slowed to a stop. Groaning quietly, Lisette lifted one hand slowly to her forehead, the gauzy white material that sheathed her arm fluttering loosely. She felt so dizzy, and with the brilliant strobe lights, the world began to swim. 

Disoriented, her dancing partner's face swam before her as he grabbed her elbow and began leading her from the dance floor. Briefly panicked, Lisette tried shrugging him away to find Angela when she saw that her friend was in the same predicament as she stumbled away from the dance floor as well, the brunette's arm around her waist. Shaking her head, Lisette tried to explain that something was wrong, that she felt very weak and confused, so dizzy and disoriented. 

But, as though he understood her problem, the young man nodded quickly. Not to worry, his smile seemed to say, he would take good care of her. Despite her own fear as to what was happening to her, Lisette managed a small smile before the world finally went dark. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Laughing, Fox watched as Alex pushed his toy car as fast as he could until it smashed into the tall tower of blocks that composed David's 'skyscraper,' sending the blocks crashing to the plushly carpeted floor below. 

Surprised, David's head jerked up and away from his next work of art as he stared in horror at the remains of a half hour's worth of diligent work. "Alex!" he cried out, his unbelieving eyes snapping to his giggling three year old son. "You destroyed my headquarters!" he gasped in disbelief. 

Laughing gleefully, Alex quickly clapped his small hands together. "Daddy's tower went **BOOM!**" he squealed, laughing joyously. Turning, the little boy quickly made his car of destruction gain speed before he sent it crashing into another of his father's block fortresses. 

"Fox!" David groaned as he turned to his wife who was busy snickering behind her hand, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "He's destroying all of my buildings!" 

"Well, they **ARE** his toys, David," Fox replied as her son used a magical earthquake to systematically level the rest of the block buildings. 

Sighing, David looked around at the devastation that now littered the nursery floor. "Those doctors are idiots," he grumbled as he began picking up the mess, shaking his head as little Alex began dancing around the room chanting "I will rule da world! I will rule da world!" Smiling at his son's words, David quickly shook his head. "Two year olds are angels, but three year olds... definitely the terrible threes." 

Hearing her husband's words, Fox couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. Ignoring her husband's pointed glare, she quickly pulled her son into her arms, his red hair so much like her own. "I will rule the world! I will rule the world!" she called out, joining in her son's chant as they clapped their hands together. 

"You would encourage him, wouldn't you?" David griped, trying not to smile. It was a losing battle. Soon, David couldn't take it any longer and quickly scooted forward till he was sitting across from his wife and child. Together, as a family, the three richest people in the world began clapping their hands and continued the chant. "I will rule da world! I will rule da world! I will rule da world!" 

Soon, the family became aware of someone clearing their throat behind David. Turning, David Xanatos quickly flushed red as he saw Owen with Goliath and Elisa standing behind him in the doorway, looks of amusement on their faces. 

"Sir, I do believe that we should have a talk about what you do in your spare time," Owen said quietly, a small frown on his face. 

Laughing, Elisa quickly shook her head, her black hair swirling around her. "Really, Xanatos," she laughed, unable to resist, "I've heard of family projects before, but don't you think that's taking it a bit far? World domination and all?" 

Sighing, Xanatos climbed to his feet and adjusted his suit jacket. "Goliath, Talika," he called out, his calm and collected expression returning as he used the name that went with the clothes, "what are you..." Stopping, Xanatos stared in confusion as a beautiful little girl, about Alex's age, stepped out from behind the detective where she had been hiding behind the wispy royal blue skirt. "Who's she?" he asked, pointing at the shy child. 

Standing up slowly, Fox stared at the little girl and then turned questioning eyes to Elisa. "She looks like she could be your..." she trailed off as the little girl slowly left the protector's side and moved across the room till she was standing before Alex. 

"Hi!" she said brightly, her smile large as she took in the shorter boy, his eyes bright and his red hair sticking up in places. "My name's Hope," she declared with a friendly smile, "daughter to Lord Caleb an' Queen Talika," she continued her introduction in the way that was custom for her. 

At her words, Elisa felt a smile tug at her lips as Alex looked at his mommy in confusion and as Fox and Xanatos paled visibly as they stared at the girl in shock. 

"Oh," Alex mumbled as his small brow scrunched up in a mix of confusion and concentration. "My name's Alex... um... son to... my mommy and daddy!" Alex finished proudly as he smiled at Hope. 

"You're funny!" Hope giggled. 

"I'm gonna rule da world when I grow up!" Alex cried out, his eyes bright. 

Laughing, Hope quickly brought her hands to her mouth, her blue eyes twinkling. "I'm gonna be a protector like my mommy and daddy!" she giggled. 

"Wanna play?" Alex asked, deciding that even though she was a **GIRL**, she could be fun. 

Nodding her head, Hope quickly scurried after her new friend as Fox and Xanatos turned their attention back to Goliath and Elisa. "Your daughter?" Fox asked, arching her eyebrow as she finished her earlier sentence. 

Sighing, Elisa felt Goliath put a comforting arm around her as she nodded her head, her eyes locked on Hope and Alex. "Yes, Hope is Caleb and my daughter," she confirmed. 

"But, correct me if I'm wrong," Xanatos said as he thoughtfully began to stroke his neatly trimmed goatee, "didn't you say before that she had been killed a **LONG** time ago?" 

"She was," Elisa said, wincing at the memory, "but it seems as though Caleb had someone help to bring her back." 

"He's still alive and can _do_ that?!" Fox gasped, her eyes involuntarily drifting back to her son. What she saw was enough to temporarily drive the new threat from her mind as she nudged her husband and nodded in Alex and Hope's direction. 

Seeing her movements, the group of adults quickly turned and felt smiles light up their faces. Alex and Hope sat side by side in the plush carpeting with their eyes narrowed and faces scrunched up in concentration. Above them floated five or six stuffed animals. As giggles escaped their lips the two children quickly turned back to the group of adults. "That's Unca Puck!" Alex giggled. 

Almost simultaneously both tots pointed chubby little fingers at the stiff majordomo, sending the poor man into the air and floating with the toys. "Children, put me down this instant!" Owen called out, trying to maintain his dignity while floating about five feet in the air, the children rolling around on the floor beneath him in laughter. 

Snickering, Elisa turned away from the stranded man and smiled at her love, noticing the smile he was trying to hide. "Goliath, do you know where Lisette is? We may need her later when and if Caleb shows up," she explained. 

"I'm not sure," was Goliath's thoughtful reply. "Angela and Lisette were planning on doing something together, just the two of them, tonight." 

"Hmm... and the trio?" Elisa asked. 

"They're on patrol tonight, but we can just call them, for Lexington always carries a cell phone..." Goliath answered as a wicked gleam entered his eyes. "Can we use your phone, Owen?" Goliath asked suddenly, turning to stare at the floating man who was busy glaring in return. 

* * *

Roof opposite nightclub 

Sighing, Brooklyn quickly realized that while juggling the stones was amusing for Lexington, the constant clattering of the stones as he missed them and fell noisily to the roof was grating on his nerves. Clenching his beak, Brooklyn risked a glance away from the entrance to the nightclub to see that Broadway obviously shared his annoyance. Then, as a few more pebbles rained down, Brooklyn finally lost all patience as he spun around... to find Lexington putting his cell phone to his ear. 

"Hello?" he asked as Broadway and Brooklyn gathered eagerly nearby. 

"Who is it?" Broadway asked, earnest for a distraction. 

"What's up?" Brooklyn asked at the same time. 

"Hold on a sec..." Lexington said into the phone as he shot his brothers a look of annoyance. "Goliath, I'm going to put you on speaker phone," he said before pulling the phone away, pushing a button, and holding the small device between them. 

"Goliath?" Brooklyn asked quickly, just as happy for the distraction, never noticing as the door that had so captured their attention earlier swung open, releasing two human males who were busy supporting two unconscious human females between them. 

"Brooklyn," Goliath's voice rang out in the clear night, "I need you and the others back at the castle immediately." 

"Uh... we can't," Broadway stuttered, watching his rookery brothers warily and completely missing the sight of the two human males depositing the two young women, one with silky blond hair and the other with a single brown braid, into the backseat of a white four-door car. 

"What do you mean you can't?" Goliath asked, his voice sounding perplexed. After all, it wasn't everyday that his clan outright denied one of his orders. "Do you know where Angela and Lisette are?" 

Gulping, Brooklyn quickly looked at Broadway and Lexington, both mirroring his defeated expression. None of them wanted to get the girls into trouble, but lying to Goliath was out of the question. A gargoyle just simply did _not_ lie to his leader. "Uh... Lisette and Angela are at a nightclub," Brooklyn admitted slowly. 

"What?" Goliath responded, the confusion evident in his voice. 

"We saw Angela and Lisette walk into a human nightclub earlier and are watching it to make sure they get out okay," Lexington explained as the little white car started up and drove unnoticed out of sight. 

"**_WHAT?!?_**" Goliath's voice rang out, causing the young gargoyles to wince. 

"They were human," Broadway quickly explained, not wanting to be in his love's shoes when her father got a hold of her. 

A soft growl that issued through the phone's small speakers was Goliath's only response. "What were they thinking?" he hissed, the quiet tone of his voice sounding only more ominous than had he been yelling. "They do not know enough about the dangers and the humans of this time to do such a thing..." he trailed off as a muffled conversation took place. 

"He's probably telling Elisa what's going on," Lex guessed as the muffled sound died away. 

"Elisa will be right..." Goliath stated as a sudden flash of green light caught their attention. Surprised, the trio turned quickly and watched as Elisa appeared before them, a tight frown on her face as the soft wind tussled her wispy skirt. With the full moon haloing her black hair she looked like a figure straight out of 'Arabian Nights.' 

Without a word, Elisa stalked to the edge of the roof and regarded the club through narrowed eyes. Quickly, she snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flash, only to reappear a second later in her bomber jacket and jeans on the street below. More worried than angry, she quickly stalked forward and flashed her badge at the bouncer, allowing her admittance. Sighing angrily, she then began doing a magical scan for any trace of magic, Lisette's magical aura, while scanning visually as well for the pair. She knew all to well what went on in these places -- the alcohol consumption, the intentional use of drugs like ecstasy and cocaine, as well as the more stealthy variety of date rape drugs that were slipped into victims' drinks. They could be fun places to hang out -- if you knew what to watch out for, something that obviously wasn't going to be true for Lisette and Angela. 

Sighing, Elisa quickly realized that Lisette's magical energy wasn't present, which meant that somehow the girls had alluded the trio's careful observation. Shaking her head, Elisa quickly disappeared in a flash and reappeared beside the guys as Talika a moment later. 

"Did you find them?" Broadway asked eagerly as Elisa stepped forward, her frown more pronounced. 

"They're not here," she muttered as she drew her magic to her, preparing to teleport them all back to the castle. 

Sensing her intent, Brooklyn quickly stepped forward and placed his hand on her arm, his dark eyes flashing. "What are you doing? If they're not here then we have to find them; they could be in trouble!" he ground out, his voice tight. 

Sighing, Elisa quickly closed her eyes before leveling her somber eyes at her friends. "Caleb is back and we need all of the help that we can get." 

At this, Brooklyn felt his eyes darken with remembered pain. His last encounter with the evil protector had almost cost him his life. Shaking his head, Brooklyn quickly focused on the matter at hand. "Even more reason that we should find them then!" 

"How?" Elisa asked, her voice soft. "Brooklyn, I'm not all-seeing or all-powerful! In a city this large it will take more time and man power than we have... we gotta get back to the castle." 

Slowly, Lexington walked forward and placed his small green hand on Brooklyn's red shoulder. "She's right. We're needed more back at the castle." At his rookery brother's pained expression, Lex quickly continued. "Besides, those two can take care of themselves." 

Shaking his head, Broadway sympathized with his brother, for he liked the idea of leaving Angela alone in the city about as much as Brooklyn. Then again, he knew that Angela was a strong warrior and that Lisette had powerful magic under her control. Together, they would be able to handle almost anything that New York City had to throw at them -- he hoped. "Let's go," he mumbled, speaking for the group. 

Nodding her head, Elisa quickly raised her hands above her head and formed a circle of green energy around them. A moment later they disappeared. 

**To be Continued...**


	13. Hope -- Part Two

**"Hope -- Part Two"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 08/22/99

Revised on: 11/17/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. The characters of Talika, Lisette, and Caleb on the other hand, are of the author's creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the second part of the ninth installment of the Talika series. 

Brief summary: Hope is the one thing that everyone needs -- something that most can't live without and the one thing that someone will sell their soul for. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

**_Hope -- Part Two_**

Numbly Caleb slid the thin chain over his head and felt the smooth white stone fall against the bare skin of his chest. Although he felt no different, he knew that the stone's power now protected him against his one weakness. Gulping silently, he then gingerly accepted the black, shiny pistol that his savior handed to him -- a savior of darkness. 

"The Protector of Light is a police officer in this time," the Being said as Caleb inspected the gun. "I find it poetic justice, then, that she be killed by the weapon that she uses to protect." 

"The bullets are dark matter?" Caleb guessed as he eyed the weapon disdainfully. 

"Retrieve your daughter and destroy the Protector," It answered as Caleb disappeared in a flash of light, Manhattan his destination. "The punishment for failure will be severe." 

* * *

Groaning, Angela slowly lifted a hand weakly to her head... and nearly screamed when she saw that she had five fingers and that her skin was a pinkish-beige color. Gasping, she quickly looked down to see her legs enclosed in a soft, tight black leather, smooth pink skin covering her flat stomach, and a rumpled white halter on top. Confused, she turned her large eyes away from herself and saw that she was riding in the backseat of a car... she had never been in a car before... with two humans sitting in front of her in animated conversation. Shaking her head, she quickly turned once more and saw Lisette slumped against the other side of the door, her eyes closed. And then, taking in her outfit once more and the tight black dress that was riding up her friend's tanned thigh, everything came rushing back to her. "**WHAT** is going on?!" she bellowed, finally gaining the guys' attention. 

As they turned around to regard her with shielded eyes, Angela easily recognized the two as the guys from the dance club. "They're waking up," the brunette surmised from behind the wheel as he turned to his friend. 

"Too early... someplace else?" the black, spiked-haired boy asked cryptically. 

"Where are we?" Lisette asked quietly from beside Angela, never feeling so weak before in her life as she slowly woke up. 

Feeling a small measure of relief that her friend was alright, Angela quickly turned back to the guys, her brown eyes flashing. "Stop this car right now!" she ordered as she turned and began opening the car door. Instantly, the guy with the black hair was diving over the seat of the small car as he pulled roughly on Angela's long braid, pulling her painfully back into the car. 

As Angela's scream of pain ripped through the small car, the driver quickly whipped into a long and deserted alley that ended in a brick wall, sending the guy tumbling back against Lisette. Crying out softly as the wind was knocked from her, she watched through hazy eyes as Angela's door was jerked open from the outside and as her friend was pulled from the car. And then, the black-haired man was scooting across the seat towards the open door and pulling her roughly along with him. Crying out, Lisette struggled weakly against him, only to discover that her legs were too weak to support her. 

She didn't understand what was happening. The world was spinning dizzyingly around her and she felt on the verge of passing out. At first she was standing, the guy holding her roughly as she tried to struggle, tried to remember her extensive training. And then one of her blows must have connected for she was tumbling to the hard ground and scurrying back until she was beside Angela, her beautiful braid in disarray with wisps of brown hair framing her face. 

"The drinks..." Angela murmured thickly, her voice sounding distant even to her as she stared into her friend's vacant blue eyes. "Change me back!" she half-yelled as the guys advanced on them. At Lisette's continued blank look, Angela tried again. "Gargoyle..." 

Finally understanding what her friend was asking, Lisette tried to focus her muddled thoughts. Searching, she could feel as her magic swirled around her, but as panic surged through her, she realized that she couldn't access it or use it. It was as though the magic was there but the part of her that controlled it was inhibited. "Can't..." Lisette gasped in horror as fear snaked around her. Turning back, she barely had time to call out as the guy she had been dancing with reached her and pulled her roughly away. And then he was on top of her and pinning her to the ground, her dress inching up her thigh. Gasping, Lisette weakly tried to struggle as she turned her frightened eyes to her friend. Dismayed, she saw that Angela was in the same position. 

Gasping, both realized that they were completely helpless and simultaneously they did something that they've never had to do before... they screamed for help. 

* * *

As the soft wind carried him low over the squat buildings that made up this part of the city, he remarked to himself that while some small changes had been made during his absence, overall the feeling of Manhattan was the same. 

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as two screams broke the quiet night from below him. More curious than concerned, he quickly angled his wings till he landed softly on a roof and looked down into an alley that was lit by the twin beams of a car's headlights. Instantly his eyes locked on two humans that were struggling with two females, their intent clear. 

Shrugging, he was about to turn away when one of the young women cried out, her voice somewhat familiar as she called out one word: Broadway! Shocked, he quickly turned back and stared at the dark-haired girl in amazement. "Couldn't be..." he murmured as he slowly opened his wings and dove from the rooftop, gliding to the alley below. 

* * *

Crying out, the two girls struggled as hard as they could as they tried to fight off their attackers -- all to no avail. In their drug-induced weakened states, neither of them proved a challenge for the young men as darkness slowly threatened their dimming vision. 

Suddenly, it was the guys who were crying out as a large shadow plucked them off of their victims and threw them into a nearby wall, knocking them into unconsciousness. Gasping, Angela and Lisette glanced at the shadow through blurry eyes, the form slowly becoming clear. 

"Father?" Angela gasped in relief as her head fell weakly back. 

"Goliath," Lisette murmured as the massive gargoyle stepped into the light. 

"No, Thailog," he laughed with a cold smile as a look of fear and confusion clouded the girls' features before darkness claimed them. Chuckling quietly in a voice that mirrored Goliath's, Thailog stepped forth and squatted between the two young women. With narrowed eyes he slowly roved over the brunette's body; over her curvy legs, her flat midsection, her white top, till they finally rested on her angelic face that was framed by her loose brown hair. Shaking his head, he quickly pursed his lips and put one dark hand to his chin, pushing a stray lock of white hair from his eyes. The girl was obviously human, yet he knew without a doubt that she was Angela, Demona and his brother's daughter. But how was that possible? Did that mean that the rest of Goliath's clan were human as well? 

Sighing, he slowly turned away and then froze as he finally got a good look at the other girl. "A clone of Elisa Maza?" he questioned as he took in the tight dress that showed more leg than it covered, the ripped gauzy white thing, and her face that so closely resembled the detective's that was framed by pale blond hair. She obviously couldn't be a daughter.. far too old for that and a sister seemed unlikely. But who would clone the detective? Besides him of course. 

From the first moment that Thailog had laid eyes upon the detective he had been quite taken with her exotic beauty. At the oil rig it had been to the point that he was almost saddened to have to kill her. And later, her lovely image had haunted him. Even when he was with Demona, Detective Elisa Maza had been in the corner of his mind, making it no surprise when he later made a clone that was a mixture of Demona and Elisa: Delilah, his obedient and willing slave... he only wondered what happened to her and the rest of the clones after the amusement park catastrophe -- the incident that had cost him everything, almost his life, and made him hide in the Alps to heal his burns -- burns so severe that stone sleep couldn't heal them. 

Shaking his head, Thailog focused once more on the matter at hand. Even though the girl looked to be about ten years younger than the detective, and her fair blond hair opposite of her black, the clone possibility seemed the most likely, which brought up some interesting questions. 

Smiling slightly, Thailog slowly reached down and gathered up both girls, one under each arm. Due to his height, when standing straight, only the barest wisps of their hair would trail along the ground. Moving easily under their combined weight, Thailog quickly hopped onto the roof of the white car, not caring about the puncture marks his sharp talons left behind, and from there into the dark night sky, his large wings taking hold of a wind gust and launching him high above the city. 

With a wry smile he looked down at the two unconscious girls and heard his laughter echo around him. "Obviously I have missed quite a bit during my absence after all..." 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Sighing, Elisa listened idly as the suggestions and comments flew in the room as the clan tried to decide on some sort of a plan. In the end, there could be no plan of action to prevent her ex-husband's arrival. In essence, there was little hope. 

Smiling, Elisa quickly glanced down at the little girl that was curled in her lap and stroked her soft golden locks gently. Soon after she had returned to the castle with the trio and had filled them in on the situation, her little angel had crawled into her lap and fallen asleep. Then again, her sleepiness wasn't surprising seeing as how she had used quite a bit of her energy during her magical play with little Alex. Because she was so young, even using the smallest of her magic tired her out, evident by her sleeping form and little Alex who was sleeping in his own mother's arms. 

Suddenly she became aware of a pair of eyes locked on her form. Surprised, she glanced up into Lexington's even stare. "What? Do I have food on my face or something?" Elisa laughed as she relished in the feeling of her small daughter in her arms. She could hold her daughter for an eternity, which was how long it felt that she had been without her. 

Laughing, Lexington quickly shook his head as he rearranged himself on the nursery floor. "No, but it's just so weird that you have a kid!" he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Grinning, Elisa looked down fondly at her daughter as her baby's bright blue eyes slid open. "I've been a mother for a _long_ time," she murmured as Hope giggled and climbed out of Elisa's arms. 

"I wanna play!" she laughed. 

And then, as if on cue, Alex quickly scurried from his mommy's arms till he was tottering beside his new friend. "I wanna play too!" he cried out, his bright blue eyes shining mischievously. 

"Hey! I thought that you two were sleeping!" Fox cried out as she stood up, her hands on her hips as she mock-glared at the two rugrats. 

"We wanna play!" the two children chorused as giggles escaped their little mouths. 

Before either mother could respond to their child's delighted demand, Owen cleared his throat from beside Xanatos, who was busy smiling widely at his son's antics. "I can take Alexander and Hope to the arboretum for awhile," he volunteered, knowing that they'd love the indoor gardens, as the two children turned and threw themselves into his arms. 

Sighing, Elisa felt a smile tug at her lips as she saw her daughter's eager and hopeful bright blue eyes. Turning, she then glanced at Fox and saw her almost imperceptible nod of consent. "Alright Owen, but be careful," Elisa warned as Goliath moved behind and squeezed her shoulder gently. 

"Lexington, would you please accompany Owen?" he asked as he nodded at the small green gargoyle. 

In response, Lex quickly hopped over to the overburdened majordomo and accepted Hope from the man. Smiling, he saw that the little girl displayed no fear as she jumped up and down eagerly, his green hand clasped tightly in her own. "You'll know if there's trouble," Lex assured as he, Owen, and the kids left the room amidst a jumble of excited voices. 

Laughing, Xanatos quickly shook his head and muttered something about kids when Goliath turned his dark eyes on the man. "What became of the dark matter and white stone samples that you were able to gather?" Goliath asked, his voice low as he thought of the one possible hope against Caleb. 

Sighing, Xanatos slowly shook his head as he felt his trademark smirk slip from his face. "We were unable to do any real tests on the substances because after being placed together for a few days they seemed to absorb each other till there was nothing left," Xanatos explained as a frown pulled at his lips. After the group had arrived back at the castle after their confrontation with Caleb and after he was sure that their extensive injuries were being tended to, Xanatos had cornered a healed and distraught Brooklyn and learned of where they had been. Knowing that time was of the essence and that the chance remained that the group would be assaulted by dark matter again, he had quickly dispatched a team to gather up the white stone box that contained the dark matter angel that the red gargoyle had described with Matt's help. In the end, his scientists only had a few days to study it before the two canceled each other out. All for nothing in an event that had even cost him two of his brightest scientists -- two who had gotten too close to the dark matter for too long. "The only thing that we did learn was that the white stone and the dark matter are exact opposites." 

"So, in other words there's nothing we can do to stop this guy," Brooklyn surmised as he ignored Goliath's glare. 

"Basically," Elisa agreed as she leaned her head back against Goliath, still sitting quietly as her thoughts raced. "The only thing we _can_ do is somehow try and get whatever form of the white stone that he's wearing away from him..." 

"Making him as vulnerable as we are," Goliath finished as he frowned thoughtfully. "But how are we supposed to do that?" 

"The billion dollar question," Xanatos murmured as he stroked his goatee. 

"Million," his wife automatically corrected, breaking into her husband's thoughts. 

"What?" 

"It's 'the million dollar question'..." 

"For us, my dear," David interrupted with a sly smile, "it will always be in billions..." 

* * *

Sighing, Thailog allowed the gentle wind currents to carry him and the two girls high above his glittering city to his new home... new home. Even the thought of any place other than Nightstone as being his home was irritating at best. But even way off in the Alps he had heard that Dominique Destine had declared her business partner and cofounder, Alexander Thailog, missing and presumed dead, thereby gaining full control of his business. 

Well, not for long. When the time was right, he _would_ be making a reappearance. Of that it was guaranteed. 

Suddenly he felt the two girls begin to shift in his arms and realized with a start that they both were waking once again. Growling, he quickly realized that he would never make it back to his home before they would awaken, meaning that he had to find a place to land. Turning, he only had to scan for a few seconds before his eyes lit upon a brightly lit and busy building that would suit his needs perfectly. Grinning a smile that could only be described as sadistic, Thailog quickly arched his wings and landed lightly amongst the debris of the demolished clocktower. Laughing, he then threw his cargo roughly to the rubbled ground, bringing them instantly and painfully awake. 

"Ow!" Lisette cried as she landed on a rough and jagged piece of stone, further ripping her filmy white blouse. Groaning, she slowly turned and watched as Angela climbed to her feet and glared at... the Goliath look-a-like. Shaking her head, Lisette stumbled to her feet and swept her long blond hair behind her, pleased to see that besides the fact that she couldn't use her magic and a slight dizziness, her strength was returning. Looking around, she was mildly surprised to see that the alley was gone, replaced by the clocktower. Shrugging her dainty shoulders, Lisette pushed all of that aside as she strolled forward and extended her hand to the gargoyle who was identical to Goliath in every way but color. "Thank you, monsieur, for saving us from..." she began before she was roughly yanked back, almost stumbling to the ground once again. 

"Don't go near him!" Angela cried out furiously, her long clear nails digging into Lisette's arm through her thin blouse until she drew blood. 

Wincing as her red blood began staining the see-through material, Lisette gaped at her friend. "Angela, what are you doing?! This gargoyle just saved our lives! He is a friend!" 

"Thailog is no friend of mine or the clan's!" Angela bit out, her eyes flashing with anger. 

As the blond clone stared at him in shock in confusion, Thailog laughed quietly. Even though he was puzzled over the girl's thick French accent, he wasn't about to lose his edge. "How true, Angela," he agreed in a voice that exactly replicated her father's. "Now," he said as he began advancing threateningly on the two, both stumbling back just as quickly, "who cloned you?" he asked, his dark eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the young woman. 

"Who cloned me?" Lisette repeated back, her brow creasing in confusion. "Qu'est-ce que c'est... I do not understand... what is 'cloned'?" she asked blankly. 

Roaring, Thailog quickly rushed forward and grabbed the girl's shoulders roughly in his hands and bodily lifted her off the ground and glared into her deep blue eyes, now hazed with pain. "Do not play dumb with me, girl," he growled as he flung Angela away from him with his tail, stopping her annoying and ineffective attempts to release her friend instantly. "Who made you a copy of Elisa Maza?" 

Finally, as Thailog's question became clear, Lisette felt herself overwhelmed by a blinding and extremely indignant anger. "I am _no one's_ clone!" she cried out, wishing that she had access to her magic just so that she could fry this impudent gargoyle on the spot. "My name is Lisette, born to Jean-Marc and Jasmine, mage to the Lord, taught by the powerful Craigen, and member of Goliath's clan. I am _not_ a copy of someone else for I am the original you stupide, arrogant, dègoûtant, horrible, hors-caste..." Lisette cursed as Thailog stared at her in shock. Taking advantage of this, Lisette quickly drew her foot back and then kicked the gargoyle as hard as she could between the legs. 

The next thing Lisette knew she was sprawled on the floor, Thailog hunched and groaning before her. And then she was on her feet again as Angela pulled her deeper into the clocktower. 

"Hurry," Angela hissed as she drug her friend over to the trapdoor she had been searching for, smiling the whole way. She had feared the worst for them both when Thailog had tossed her aside like she was no more than a ragdoll. But then, her friend's blinding anger at Thailog's question made even her pause in surprise. "I didn't know you were capable of such anger," she murmured as she finally wrenched the old wood open, dismayed at her weak human body. 

"Yes, well I am having a _very_ bad night," Lisette replied as Thailog's groan of pain changed to a muffled curse of revenge as she followed her clan sister down the ladder and into the stuffy supply closet. Without wasting a second, she quickly threw open the door and burst into the 23rd Precinct's hallway... and right into another person, sending them both crashing to the hard linoleum floor. 

Groaning, Matt Bluestone slowly sat up and rubbed his aching head before glancing at the person who had plowed into him. "Lisette?" he asked as he took in her windblown hair, her very short black dress that had long slits up both thighs and was powdered in spots with dust, and a filmy white blouse over top that was ripped in many places with blood staining one sleeve. 

"Uh, hi Matt," Lisette replied weakly as she climbed to her feet and winced as Matt's eyes slid to her companion in trouble for that night. 

"**ANGELA?!**" he gawked as he took in her beige skin smudged with dirt, loose braid, dirty white halter top that revealed a beige stomach and beige five-fingered hands, and tight black leather pants over black boots. All in all there was not _one_ single gargoyle appendage to be found on the person who last time he checked, was a lavender gargoyle in full leather ensemble. "What... what are you **_DOING_** here?!" he gasped as he stumbled to his feet. 

"Um... Thailog's in the clocktower?" was Angela's weak reply. 

* * *

Arboretum 

Giggling, Hope quickly chased after Alex as they tore under trees, around flowers, and through the carefully groomed brush, all the while avoiding the tall man and the smaller green gar-goyle. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt halt as the air before her shimmered with green. Surprised, she felt Alex sidle up beside her as the tall form of a man took shape before them. "Daddy!" she cried out in delight as she threw her small body into his arms. 

"Hope," Caleb murmured brokenly as he easily lifted his small child into his arms. With his savior's help, it was easier than he had expected to latch onto his daughter's different life force, making finding her a snap. And she was here. His angel, his baby that had been viciously murdered so long ago was whole again in his arms. When last he had held her bleeding and broken body, he had realized that like any parent, his daughter was his life and her sudden death destroyed him. And now, with her back, he was whole again.. and born into darkness from the light. 

Frowning at this thought, Caleb held his daughter closer as the little toddler that had been with her regarded him wearily through unusually bright blue eyes for such a young child -- such intelligence shined through. But then his thoughts were disturbed further as a tall man with short blond hair and glasses and the small green gargoyle from before burst out from behind some trees. The gargoyle, Lexington, if he remembered correctly, quickly snatched the red-headed toddler up into his arms before the blond man stepped between them and glared stonily up at him. 

"Release the child and leave this place immediately, Caleb," the man ordered as Lexington placed the boy on his feet and gently pushed the child behind him. What was strange was that Caleb was sensing a surge of fey magic within the boy. 

"And who are you to demand this?" Caleb asked as he gently placed Hope on her feet, hugging her to his legs as she stared at him in confusion. 

Suddenly, in a flash of green light the calm man's true form was revealed as a short man in a colorful tunic and leggings, long pointed ears, and unruly white hair floated between him and the others. "Now, I know that this _definitely_ falls under Daddy Oberon's wish to protect Alex!" he exclaimed as he fixed a steely grin on the protector. 

"Puck!" Caleb cried out in surprise as he recognized the little trickster. "What are you doing off of Avalon? Do Lord Oberon and Queen Titania know of this?" he demanded quickly. The last he had seen of his fellow protectors, before they had helped his wife to imprison him beneath the Earth, was when he and Talika helped them to create Avalon and moved the second, apparently now the third race, to the mystical isle. 

"Of course they know!" Puck cried out, not wanting to reveal too much to the man of little Alex. "Now, pass over Talika's daughter before I gotta get ugly!" he ordered with a sly smile as he eagerly rubbed his hands together, obviously hoping that he'd do anything but. 

"Puck, your words sadden me," Caleb murmured as an iron chain appeared around the fey with a quick twist of his hand. 

Dropping like a rock to the grassy floor of the arboretum, Puck moaned at his bruised bottom and glared at the man who had caused his entrapment. "You would think," he muttered as he fidgeted in the heavy chains, "that after all the time I spent teaching Lisette and Alex how to avoid these types of situations I would be capable of following my own advice!" 

Shaking his head, Caleb held back his laughter as he felt a quick tug on the royal blue sash that was draped over one shoulder and across his bare chest. Looking down, he found his daughter's large and bright blue eyes, the shape so much like her mother's, filled with tears and locked on his own. 

"Daddy, stop it!" she sobbed as the tears trailed and streaked down her pale cheeks -- pale because of the Dark and mean thing her Daddy had done. "Leave Unca Puck alone!" 

Before Caleb had a chance to even process his daughter's request, he saw the green gargoyle step forward, his eyes glowing white. 

"Let Hope go!" Lex growled, seeing nothing but the tears and distress that was more than evident on the little girl's face. While it was true that he had only known her a short time, already it was evident that she was a happy child with a continual bright outlook. To see her in such despair filled Lexington with such a blinding anger that it outshined any caution he held for himself... not always a good thing he realized quickly as the ground itself seemed to turn against him as the very dirt surged up and formed a tight shell of a ball around him that left only his head free... and Alex unprotected. 

As Hope watched her daddy do bad things to Lex and Unca Puck, the thick tears streamed down her young face. Why was her daddy doing these bad things? Why was he hurting people? Then, a scary realization hit the little girl. "You're not my daddy 'cause my daddy doesn't do bad things!" she cried out as she wiggled out of the Daddy look-a-like's grip and ran to Alex's side. "Alex, we gotta go! Help me!" she cried out as she took his little hands in her own. 

Nodding solemnly, Alex focused on his magic as Unca Puck had taught him to, feeling Hope's different magic mix with his own. "Take us away from the Bad Man," he whispered as his voice and words mirrored that of his first real friend. 

Meanwhile, the Bad Man could only stare in shock as the two children began to glow with a green magical light, his daughter's words echoing and cutting deep into his heart. "Not your daddy?" he murmured as the children.. his _daughter_, disappeared in a flash of bright green light. "Hope...." he murmured, his thoughts whirling as he followed the children in a flash of his own. 

* * *

NYPD's 23rd Precinct 

"What are you talking about? And **WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!?**" Matt ground out as he stared pointedly at Angela. 

"A very long story," Lisette mumbled as she grabbed Matt's arm and began dragging him away from the supply closet, sending it wary glances as she went. 

"For now you must take us to Elisa," Angela interjected as she latched onto Matt's other arm. She didn't think that Thailog would be foolish enough to come after them, but that certainly didn't stop her from looking back every few seconds. 

"Tonight is Elisa's night off and **WHY** do you both keep looking behind you like you expect something to come chasing after us?" Matt ground out as he ignored the sly looks he was receiving from his coworkers. After all, despite their rumpled appearance, he still had two very beautiful young women on each arm. 

"I already told you," Angela murmured as she thought of their next course of action, "Thailog is in the clocktower..." 

"**_WHAT?!_**" Matt cried out, turning quite a few heads as he dared a quick glance at the closed door before grabbing each girl's hand and hurrying away. "I thought you were kidding!" he panted as they rushed down the wide stairs, his trench coat flapping wildly behind them. "Elisa said he was dead!" 

"Well," Lisette replied calmly as they slowed to a stop, stepping into the busy squad room, "Elisa apparently was wrong. Can you take us back to the castle?" 

Sighing, Matt stared at the two girls in a daze. "Why don't you just.. hocus pocus yourselves there?" he muttered as he ran a hand through his short red hair. 

Turning, Lisette met Angela's eyes and saw her weary nod. Sighing, Lisette briefly closed her own eyes before focusing on the detective. "I changed Angela into a human so we could go to a nightclub and see what it was like," she explained, watching through downcast eyes as a large frown appeared on his face. 

"And then two humans must have put something into our drinks," Angela continued meekly, "for we fell unconscious and awoke briefly in an alley with the humans..." 

"And then Thailog saved us," Lisette continued, "and when we awoke again we were in the clocktower... and I still cannot use my magic," Lisette murmured in puzzlement. 

Sighing, Matt groaned at their naiveté that easily bordered on stupidity. "They probably put some sort of drug in your drink that contained a type of muscle relaxant that's blocking your ability to use your magic," Matt guessed as he forced back the lecture that was just waiting to be unleashed upon the two. Somehow, Matt would wager that they would be getting an earful from Goliath and the clan soon enough. 

"So how long until I get it back?" Lisette asked eagerly, her eyes shining. 

"No way to tell since we have no idea what you drank," Matt muttered as he began leading the way past desks, cops, and criminals to the large front door of the bustling building. "Come on, I'll take you back to the castle." 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Suddenly Elisa felt terror burn through her veins like fire as she and Fox literally jumped from their seats, crying out their child's name. "He's here!" she gasped as Goliath, Brooklyn, Broadway, Hudson, Bronx, Xanatos and Fox quickly stepped forward, knowing instantly what was to follow. 

"Alex is in trouble," Fox murmured as she squeezed David's hand tightly, knowing in a way that only a mother could. "The arboretum..." 

"No," Elisa murmured as she closed her eyes in concentration. "The courtyard," she gasped as the group disappeared in a flash of green light, the quiet creak of an old rocking chair the only testament to their hasty departure. 

* * *

Courtyard 

With three bright flashes of light, the players of the deadly game arrived. By sheer luck, it was the good guys who appeared beside the frightened children as the two mothers quickly scooped the little ones into their arms. 

Turning, Elisa glared at her ex-husband as her little girl sobbed on her shoulder, staining her royal blue halter with her tears. "What are you doing here Caleb?" she asked, her voice cold as she blocked the warm feelings that his curly blond hair and boyish-good looks stirred in her. She had loved this man, her husband at one point, but that love had slowly withered and died with both his actions and the long passage of time till only memories of the love they had shared remained. 

Sighing, Caleb slowly called forth his stone of Light and placed it around his neck before calling forth the pistol that spelled out his wife's destruction. Even after everything that she had done to him and he to her, he couldn't help but love his wife... which was really messing with his head right now. "I've come to take back what's mine," Caleb muttered thickly as he winced at the sight of his daughter's tears... and at the supporting hand that the large, lavender gargoyle rested on his wife's bare shoulder. 

"What's ours," Elisa quickly corrected as she shifted Hope to her other shoulder, one hand gently tousled in her daughter's curly locks. "She's my daughter too!" 

"I'm taking her with me!" Caleb suddenly shouted as his gun arm straightened, pointing the muzzle of the gun at the woman who would haunt his dreams for eternity, not missing the group's slight wince of pain. Even from this distance the dark matter had the power to work its dark magic on them. 

"To where?" Elisa asked, her dark eyes flashing. "You would take our daughter with you into Darkness? Just so you could selfishly have her be by your side?" 

To this, Caleb had no answer as his eyes regarded his small child with concern. 

"She's afraid of you, Caleb," Elisa murmured, speaking his fears aloud. "You've changed somehow and she can sense it." 

Sighing, Caleb knew that his wife was right. Even from the last time that they had faced one another he had changed. And it wasn't something that one could see visually, but rather something that people could sense if they tried hard enough. By bringing Hope back to life he had sold himself into darkness and that bargain had stained his soul. And in that moment, there was a brief crack in Caleb's strong composure that, for an instant, allowed all gathered to see that dark stain hidden deep inside of him. 

"Oh God, Caleb!" Elisa gasped as she fell to her knees, Hope now standing and leaning against her, her large teary blue eyes locked on Caleb. "What have you done?" 

Ignoring her question, Caleb quickly threw the damn gun to the ground as he glared at his family. "Take care of our daughter, Talika... and Goliath, take care of my wife," he growled at the large gargoyle, forcing the words out. 

"Daddy," Hope cried out quickly, catching the man's eye as she hugged herself tightly to her mommy, "there's more than just good an' bad, light an' dark, an' white an' black." Ignoring everyone's baffled expressions at such profound analogies coming from such a small child, Hope quickly continued. "You're right in th' middle an' still can choose which way you wanna go!" 

Shaking his head, Caleb attempted to strengthen his resolve. If only the words of his precocious four-year old daughter were true. But sadly, in this case his Hope was wrong. He had taken that final step from the gray to darkness only a few short hours ago. "I'm sorry baby," he whispered as tears burned his eyes. Growling, he quickly turned back to his wife. "Talika," he spoke earnestly as he began to call forth his magic, "remember that I would do _anything_ for our daughter and that I willingly give you all respite from my wrath this time. But next time, if my **_MASTER_** so wishes," he called out as he began to disappear, his words causing Elisa's eyes to widen, "you all will not be so fortunate. I may not be able to protect our daughter..." And with a flash, Caleb was gone. 

"Master?" Elisa murmured with a wonder that mingled with horror. 

"Elisa..." Broadway murmured as he self-consciously began to rub his large blue stomach from beside Hudson and the others as they gathered around their friend. At first all had hung back -- all plans of distraction forgotten as they listened to the heated conversation -- unable to tear their eyes or ears away. "Elisa.. what was he..." 

"Caleb has sold his soul into darkness," Elisa interrupted as she pulled her sobbing child tighter against her. "Shh... shh Hope," she murmured as she began rocking back and forth on her knees, holding her daughter close. "Everything will be alright..." 

* * *

Sighing, Angela slowly stepped out of Matt's car and into the quiet parking garage that sat beneath the Aerie building. Shaking her head, she quickly met Lisette's worried blue eyes as the two moved to each other's side to begin the long walk to the elevator that would bring them home -- and most likely into more trouble than either had ever been into before. In truth, it wasn't as though they had done anything really wrong.. just something foolish that had endangered them both in the end. But how were they to know that in this world you didn't give one your trust until they earned it. Instead, they were both raised to believe that the opposite held true: you willingly gave a person your trust until that person proved to you that they were unworthy of that honor. 

"Matt, you really do not need to come with us," Lisette murmured as they stepped past security and into the elevator that would bring them to the very top. 

Holding back his smirk, Matt quickly met their eyes. "I'm not letting you two out of my sight until I'm sure that whatever drug was used on you two is out of your systems," he said as firmly as he could manage. 

"But we feel perfectly fine!" Angela protested quickly. 

"Lisette," Matt said as he turned to the young mage, "can you change Angela back into a gargoyle yet?" 

"Well... no..." Lisette stuttered, knowing that at the moment she could perform _no_ magic, let alone such a large and draining spell. 

"Ha!" Matt cried out triumphantly as he grinned widely. "See, you're still under the drug's influences!" he cried out smugly as the girls sulked in silence. In reality, he was just being so persistent because he wanted to see the look on Goliath's face when he saw his daughter as a human and dressed as she was. Yes, things were definitely going to fly soon enough! 

* * *

Sighing softly, Elisa gently soothed her daughter, ignoring her own discomfort as sharp pebbles bit through her veiled skirt as her daughter clung to her, standing on shaky legs. Inherently she knew that she could say no words to comfort her small child to ease her pain, but instead just tried to offer support through her hugs. Yet through it all, she could still hear Alex's little voice as he spoke earnestly to Fox. 

"Mommy!" Alex whispered as he tugged on her jeans to get her attention. 

"What is it, Alex?" Fox asked as she hunched down to look into her son's startling blue eyes. 

"Lex is stuck in da ground an' Unca Puck can't fly no more," Alex quickly explained as though his explanation would make perfect sense, which of course, it didn't. 

"What?" was Fox's bewildered reply as Elisa snapped her fingers sharply from beside her. Turning, Fox winced at a bright flash of light that was quickly replaced by Lexington and Puck, both looking none the worse for wear besides the fact that Lexington was covered neck down in dirt and that Puck had a very _large_ frown on his pale face. 

"Okay, that is the **LAST** time that I will be forced to listen to his bad jokes!" Lex muttered as Puck shifted back into Owen and approached his boss, his eyes on little Alexander with a look of immense relief on his pointed face. 

"I take it, Sir, that the threat had been dealt with effectively?" Owen asked as he slowly began polishing his already immaculate glasses. 

"You could say that," Xanatos said slowly as he watched Lexington hesitantly approach the small firearm that Caleb had dropped, his curious expression evident. 

Immediately though, Lex winced as pain shot through him, causing him to scamper back in surprise before he had even gotten within two feet of the object. "Well, the least he could have done was take his dark matter with him!" Lex grumbled as he turned away. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes Lexington saw movement where there should have been none. Gasping, he turned quickly and watched as the gun seemed to float up into the air of its own volition, its muzzle pointed at Hope's back. 

"If you want something done right then you must..." a strange and disembodied voice, so quiet that the small gargoyle barely heard it, seemed to whisper from the direction of the pistol. Lex didn't give the voice any longer to finish the old cliché. 

"Look out!!" he cried out as everything happened at once. 

As the muzzle flashed on the gun, Elisa reacted on instinct as she twisted her body sharply so that Hope was smashed against her chest as her bare back faced in the direction that Lex's voice had come from. 

And in that instant, a fine spray of red blood flashed out from the middle of Elisa's back as the dark matter bullet tore through her skin, her back arching in pain even as she convulsively clutched her daughter closer. Not even a second later that same bullet tore its brutal exit as it ripped out of Elisa's chest and then lodged itself in Hope's small body even as the gun disappeared in a flash of light. 

Gasping in pain as the sharp copper taste of her own blood filled her mouth, Elisa slumped forward to the ground as she heard the pounding of footsteps of the others from all around her. Crying out as the blinding pain made her immobile, Elisa looked down with dimming vision and watched as a faint trickle of blood trailed out of Hope's lips, her small eyes closed and her features relaxed. "No," Elisa moaned as she clutched at her daughter, Hope's blood mixing with her own as it made her hands slippery. "No," she whispered as she caught sight of the bloody hole high in her daughter's chest, quickly staining her white dress red. The scene was too familiar as déjà vu swept over her. She was losing her daughter for a second time. 

"Elisa," Goliath whispered hoarsely as he frantically knelt beside his love. She was tilted on her side with her body sheltering Hope, making the bloody hole in her back the only thing visible. Quickly he reached out his hand as his love's whimpers greeted his ears. But the second that his skin touched her own, a wave of power that was of ungodly proportions radiated off of her prone form, sending him and the others hurtling painfully away from her. Tumbling end over end, it was a long flight away until a wall of brick broke his fall and sent him cascading to the hard ground. Groaning, Goliath slowly picked himself painfully up on the other end of the courtyard and shielded his eyes from the bright light that radiated out. Shaking his head, he tried pushing forward towards her only to find the magic pushing him back. 

"Ach, the lass will kill herself an' th' child if she don't stop this nonsense," Hudson muttered as he slowly picked his aching bones off of the hard stone. 

"She can't," Goliath murmured as he stared at the bright form in horror until spots appeared in his vision and he had to look away. "She can't stop." 

* * *

As the three stepped out of the elevator and into the Great Hall, all were immediately assaulted with a sense of wrongness. Then again, having the large doors that led into the open courtyard blown inward with a bright light radiating in from outside was a huge clue. As one, the detective and the two young women broke into a run and dashed across the large room and into the open courtyard beyond and froze at the sight. The power that was surging around in the night air was almost palpable as it seemed to spread out from somewhere in the courtyard that was hidden behind a blinding light. 

Shaking his head, Matt slowly looked at the mess in wonder, watching as members of the clan that were scattered along the outskirts vainly tried to struggle forward, only to be held at bay by whatever power was being unleashed. 

"Detective Maza can really put on a show, can't she?" a voice called out from above that was all together too cheerful for what was obviously a serious situation. 

"Elisa is doing this?" Matt asked in amazement as he glanced up at Puck who was floating nonchalantly a few feet above him, a teary-eyed little boy sitting in his lap. 

"Well, Talika actually," Puck admitted as he patted Alex consolingly. When the Protector had... well, erupted, Owen had barely enough time to change into Puck and zap he and Alex out of his mother's arms and to safety. Now, he believed that Fox was probably thrown to the other side of the courtyard. 

"Puck, how did this happen?" Lisette asked quickly as she and Angela stepped fully into the courtyard. 

Gasping at the sight of the two, Puck became so surprised that he almost dropped Alex. "What are you two doing here and what happened to you?!" he quickly asked as he regarded the girls with curiosity. "Where have you been?!" 

"Long story," Lisette replied as she waved away his eager questions. "Now, what's going on?" 

"No time!" Puck quickly interrupted as hope flared within him. They had a chance now. "Quick, stop this! I don't think that Talika can control herself," he ordered as he swept down and landed before the startled girl, setting Alex on his feet. "What are you waiting for?!" he cried out as he pushed Lisette closer to the fray. 

"I can't," Lisette whispered quietly as she turned to her teacher. "You see..." she trailed off as she realized that she had no idea where to even start. 

Sighing, Matt quickly pushed Angela aside and hurried to the two magic-wielders' sides. "Someone slipped something into her drink, probably a muscle relaxant, that's blocked her access," Matt quickly explained. 

Pushing aside his worry, concern, and questions for his student, Puck quickly nodded his head. "Then she needs a muscle accelerate to counteract it," Puck quickly muttered as a very _long_ needle appeared in his hand, filled with a clear liquid. Grinning as Lisette's face paled considerably and as her eyes grew wide, Puck quickly squirted the contents into the air. "It'll only sting a bit," he sang out as he jabbed the entire length of the needle into his student's exposed thigh, emptying the contents into her body. 

Crying out, Lisette quickly pulled away and glared at the little trickster, her eyes glowing green. "That hurt!" she cried out angrily as Puck shifted into Owen. 

"My apologies," Owen replied dryly as he pointed at the surging magic that she was only now beginning to sense. "Now, if you would..." 

Biting back her anger, Lisette quickly hurried forward as far as she could before she encountered a wall of magic. "Do not fight me, mon amie," Lisette ground out as she focused on the energy that was running rampant within her own body. Gritting her teeth, her tan legs braced wide for support as her short black dress pulled taut, she slowly stretched her arms out and then brought them together as she strained against the effort, her eyes glowing bright green. A second later everything coalesced into one as the wall of magic disappeared with a flash of green light. 

As the flare disappeared, Lisette and Owen quickly rushed across the courtyard to the single form that lay at what used to be the center of the storm. As they knelt beside the familiar figure, the rest of the clan quickly overcame their hesitance and hurried forward. 

"Elisa?" Lisette asked quietly, worry filling her eyes with tears as she reached forward and brushed her hand across the wound in the woman's back that was oozing a dark red blood. Already she could sense that it was dark matter that had caused the wound, preventing Elisa's healing magic. 

"Move," Owen quickly ordered as he pushed Lisette to the side and then gently turned over the unconscious woman, revealing a small child that had been hidden up to this point by Elisa's body. 

"Oh, mon Dieu," Lisette whispered as she quickly sat back on her haunches, the world blurring around her as she caught sight of the golden haired child. The little girl, so pale and stark against her wet blood, was so angelic and so very familiar. As the clan appeared around them, Goliath and some going to Elisa while Fox and others gathered around the child, Lisette felt strong arms lift her to her feet and support her as everything died away but the little girl. She should know this petite ânge somehow... for some reason.. and then it hit her. The little girl looked like her. Save for the curly hair, the little girl looked exactly like she did when she was young. Who was this... 

"Lisette!" Owen cried out sharply, breaking into Lisette's confused thoughts. 

Instantly the real world came crashing back as she heard the panicked voices of her clan. With a start she realized that Elisa was now awake and weakly struggling with Goliath, Broadway, Angela, and Matt in an attempt to reach the child. Shaking out of Brooklyn's arms, she quickly hurried to Elisa's side and placed her hands on Elisa's bloodied chest. 

"No!" Elisa ground out fiercely as she grabbed Lisette's wrists with a strength she didn't know that she still possessed. "Can't help me... just a shoulder wound.. no dark matter... I'll be alright," she gasped as the pain seared within her, knowing that by taking her pain Lisette would just be the one suffering from the wound that gave her an equal chance of survival. 

Confused, Lisette lifted her hands and turned her uncertain eyes to Matt, he being the only one capable of verifying or denying Elisa's claim. 

Wincing, Matt slowly nodded his head as he took in her partner's grisly wound. "With medical attention, she should be alright," Matt admitted haltingly. 

"Help Hope," Elisa pleaded as Matt pressed down tightly on her wound, trying to slow the blood flow as Goliath squeezed her hand gently. At Lisette's look of confusion, Elisa felt the tears well in her dark eyes. "My daughter," she moaned as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. 

Gasping in understanding, Lisette quickly hurried over to the little girl and knelt beside her in Lexington's place, her black dress inching unnoticed up her thighs. The little angel, la petite ânge before her was Elisa's daughter? But she was to have been killed long ago... how was she there and dying now? 

"It's too late for her," Fox whispered grimly as Lisette lifted her hands and placed them on the girl's slowly moving chest. 

"Wha... what?" Lisette murmured weakly as she tore her eyes away from the child's pale face, blocking out Elisa's agonized wail as she slowly looked at the fiery red head, her own face streaked with tears as Alex clung to her side. 

As the hot tears burned in Fox's eyes, she looked down at the bloodied hole that rested high in the little angel's chest -- a fallen angel. "She's too little to survive this," she murmured, wincing as she realized that Elisa had overheard her words and her earlier cry was from the agony of Fox's words and not from pain. 

"No," Elisa sobbed brokenly, her voice thick with anguish of her wound and daughter as Goliath tried to soothe her and keep her still. Not that she could move anymore. She couldn't move to her daughter and save her by killing herself, for not only would the wound itself probably kill her, but the dark matter within her small child surely would... she had failed her baby again. "**Nnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooo!**" Elisa screamed, the pain blinding her. 

"But... but I can help her," Lisette murmured weakly, her eyes blurring with tears as she slowly drew her shaking hands to her chest, her eyes searching for an answer. 

"No, you can't," Owen interjected, his cold voice hiding his sadness as he moved to crouch beside his student. "The bullet pierced her lung and is still lodged in her chest," he explained matter of factly, able to tell because of the millennium of experience he had gained during his exile. "Saving her will only result in your own death," he murmured as Elisa sobbed brokenly from behind them. 

"It's not fair," Lisette murmured softly as the tears burned in her eyes, making the angel blur before her. The little girl was fighting for a life that she had never been given a chance to live, her chest slowly rising up and down as the dark blood stained Fox's hands, still trying to save the girl in what was obviously a futile gesture. Without thinking Lisette brought the group to the infirmary in a flash and stumbled numbly to her feet as a group of physicians, paid to always be at hand, swarmed around the group, far too used to the oddities of Wyvern to do more than blink an eye at the group or their sudden appearance. 

And then Brooklyn was pulling her to her feet and back out of the doctors' way as Elisa and Hope were quickly lifted onto the hospital beds as the experts tried to save their patients' lives. And throughout it all, Lisette watched with empty eyes. She stood tall, her long blond hair cascading around her shoulders, her short black dress covered meekly with a tattered, blood stained shirt while Brooklyn, with his arms wrapped securely around her waist from behind, had his eyes locked on the horrifying scene. To anyone else, it looked as though she were numb with shock and lost to the loud beeping of the life support machines, the frantic words of the doctors, the crying of her friends, Goliath's anguished pleas to his love, and Elisa's desperate cries for mercy. 

"It's not fair," Lisette murmured hollowly as Elisa struggled weakly with the doctors, fighting their efforts to help her, Goliath restraining her as she became frantic to reach her daughter. All around her Elisa's sobs mixed with the tears of Angela as she cried on Broadway's shoulder, Fox and Alex as they clung to Xanatos, and the rest as they supported one another. "Not again," Lisette whispered as her eyes locked on Hope's face, pale against her matted blond hair. The child, so young, had been destroyed once before, and now, so soon after her resurrection this child was to be killed again? Was Fate so cruel that it was determined to prevent this girl from ever living? Wasn't she ever to have a chance to grow up and taste the world? Would she ever be destined to live? Poor Elisa... her baby, after just getting her back, was getting her taken away yet again. What a cruel joke. 

And then the doctors were hustling them out of the room, needing privacy and quiet to perform the delicate operations that could save both mother and daughter's life. But by the grim expression of the faces that surrounded the bundle of gold that lay surrounded in turn by white and red, all knew that one wouldn't be surviving to see the sun's rays that were too long away. 

As Brooklyn began pulling her towards the door, Lisette felt her eyes slide over to Elisa's haggard form until she was staring into her haunted brown eyes. In those eyes Lisette saw a world of pain that was tinged with madness. Elisa had lost her daughter once before in a horrid situation that had caused her to lie the blame on herself -- she had barely survived that loss with her sanity. In that moment, in those eyes before the door was closed between them, Lisette saw that Elisa was incapable of doing it again. 

* * *

"Oh Father, what's going on?" Angela sobbed as she drew away from Broadway and moved into her father's embrace, his lost expression breaking her heart. 

"Angela?" Goliath asked thickly, his numb mind trying to get past Elisa's tormented grief to focus on the human girl standing before him. 

* * *

"Mommy!" Alex cried as he buried his face in Fox's shoulder. "What's wrong wit' Hope?" 

"Hope has got a big owie, honey," Fox whispered, her voice cracking as David held her close. 

"Is she gonna be okay?" 

"I don't think so, baby," Fox choked out as she hid her face in David's shoulder. 

* * *

"But she's so young," Lex whispered as Hudson lay a consoling hand on his shoulder. 

"It's not fair," Broadway added as Bronx mewled in agreement. 

"Aye, laddies," Hudson agreed slowly, his old bones feeling even older this night. It seemed so unfair when he had lived so long and this child hadn't even been given that chance. 

* * *

"Please save my baby," Elisa whispered fervently as her eyes squeezed shut. "Save my baby. Hope must not be lost... not lost... not lost... not lost... not lost... not lost..." she repeated like a mantra. 

* * *

As if it were a tangible thing, Lisette could feel the grief and sadness that permeated every surface in the room. It wasn't right. Hope's death couldn't be what Fate had written for this night. She knew that life wasn't supposed to be fair -- her own tortured past proved as much, but this seemed to go above and beyond that. It was just wrong. 

Slowly, bit by bit, Lisette began to feel it with every pore in her body and through her entire being. She knew that this wasn't the way it was to be. The small, golden haired child was the hope for their future and she could not be destroyed. She wanted Hope to survive with every fiber of her being. Hope would survive. 

* * *

Shuddering at the remembrance of so much blood, Brooklyn held Lisette closer. She seemed so small and delicate as her thin frame shook like a leaf in his embrace. She felt so different from before -- so weak that his protective instinct kicked in full force. He wanted to shield her from the world and keep the hurt from her past, the present, and any that lay hidden in the future far, far away. 

"Shh, Lisette, I'm here mon amour," he whispered gently against her ear as she hid her face from the world in his chest, her arms at her side as he gently brushed his mouth against her soft, golden hair, his arms holding her tight. 

And then, her small arms slowly raised and wrapped tightly around Brooklyn's back as she stiffened in the red gargoyle's arms. Before he could react though, she went limp in his arms, they being the only thing that prevented her from falling to the hard linoleum floor. Confused, Brooklyn quickly lowered Lisette to the ground and stared at her unconscious form in shock. "Lisette?" he asked slowly. 

* * *

"She's not going to make it," one of the doctor's said flatly as one of his colleague's lifted the scalpel over the small child. 

"It matters not," Owen interrupted as he checked over the anesthesia that was slowly bringing the detective into a legarthic state so that the doctors could work on her without interruption. "Do what you're paid for and provide a valiant effort to save this child! And where's the head physician?" he snapped. 

Duly chagrined by the harsh reproach, the outspoken doctor quickly nodded to his companion who once more readied the gleaming scalpel over the child's chest, ready to start the operation. "She's been paged!" a nurse called out. Suddenly, all thoughts of procedure were scattered as the child flashed a bright green, sending the four men and women stumbling away from the bed in surprise. 

When the light had faded, the group once more slid cautiously forward. "The bullet hole is gone," one woman whispered as she clutched the scalpel tightly, eyeing the soft and smooth skin of the little girl. 

"Why aren't you operating?!" Owen suddenly bellowed, losing his calm façade as he stepped away from Elisa's bedside and towards the silent doctors. 

But just as Owen's words startled the doctors, they also served to awaken the small child from her slumber. As the group stared in wonder, Hope's small eyelids began to flutter before they slid open to reveal a pair of startling blue eyes -- that slowly narrowed as they focused on the gleaming scalpel that a doctor held in her hand. 

"**Aaagggggghhhhhhhhh!!!**" Hope screamed in terror as she quickly sat up and stumbled off of the high table. Ignoring the flash of pain that she felt as her knee hit the hard floor, Hope was on her feet again and tearing through the large white room. "Mommy!" she wailed as she avoided the hands of the people that were going to hurt her with the small knife, hot tears streaking her face. And then she saw her mommy lying on another table with strangers all around her holding more knives... that dripped with her mommy's blood. "Mommy!!!" she screamed as she stopped in her tracks, her tears pooling in her large blue eyes. "Stop hurtin' my mommy!" she screamed as fear and anger boiled in her blood, causing her eyes to glow green as bolts of magic flew from her tiny fingers, zapping the Bad People and scattering them. 

* * *

"Did she faint?" Fox asked quickly as everyone gathered around the fallen mage. 

"I don't know!" Brooklyn cried out as he knelt helplessly beside Lisette. "She just collapsed!" he exclaimed. 

Suddenly, a new sound leaked into the room as the sound of clanging metal and the screams of a small child filtered in through the closed infirmary door. Surprised, all but Brooklyn, Angela, and Broadway rose and rushed into the other room, just as Lisette's breath turned ragged. 

* * *

"Hope?" Goliath cried out in amazement as he stared at the small child that was busy zapping anyone who dared go near her mother's operating table, looking none the worse for wear besides her blood stained dress and teary eyes. 

"'liath!" Hope wailed as she turned and threw herself into the large gar-goyle's arms. "Make 'em stop hurtin' my mommy!" she cried desperately as she sobbed into his purple chest. 

Amazed and confused beyond belief, Goliath gently held the small girl in his arms, so unaccustomed to the feeling, and rubbed her small back as she sniffled. "Hope, the doctors are helping Elisa to get better," Goliath said slowly as the clan stared at the little girl in shock. Only a few minutes ago she had been knocking at death's door and now she seemed perfectly fine -- distraught but healthy. 

"Who?" Hope whispered quietly as the tears dripped down. 

"Your mommy," Goliath quickly corrected as he turned to see Owen staring at Hope in a mix of wonder, horror, and shock. Startled by the manservant's intense gaze, Goliath impulsively held Hope closer as he took a halting step towards them and the door, his face white as a ghost as his eyes seemed to slide past them. 

"Lisette," Owen whispered quietly as he looked beyond Goliath and saw her form spread out on the linoleum floor in the waiting room, surrounded by her friends. Ever since Hope had awaken in apparent good health, he had stood in a state of shock, trying to figure out how the impossible had been made possible. Now he knew. "Foolish, foolish girl," he muttered quickly as he brushed past the large lavender gargoyle and strode angrily into the waiting room. 

"Owen, what's wrong with her?" Angela asked quickly as the manservant knelt beside her. In the last few seconds Lisette's tan skin had turned a dusty white as her breathing became low and ragged -- it sounded as though she had to fight for each breath she took. 

"She saved Hope," Owen muttered as he quickly reached forward and placed his hand high over the smooth black material that covered her breast. When he drew his hand away, his pale skin was sheathed in red blood that the black dress concealed. 

"But... but she wasn't anywhere near Hope!" Brooklyn quickly argued as his own face became ashen. "She didn't even cast a spell!!" 

"Which means that she finally learned the lesson that Puck has been trying to teach her and Alex -- that words and spells are human inventions not needed by the third race and that a true fey need only want the magic to be done with all its being," Owen explained quickly as he placed Brooklyn's hand firmly over the bullet wound, hoping to slow the bleeding as he checked her pulse. 

"But the fey use spells..." Broadway murmured quietly. 

"For amusement and appearance's sake only," Owen quickly said as he leaned forward and lifted the young woman into his arms. Without another word he quickly turned from the three and hurried into the infirmary. For some reason, Owen felt an irrational anger towards the younger part of the clan, especially for Brooklyn for not stopping her from doing this to herself. Yet at the same time he knew that the anger was unjustified and just a way to cover up for his own frustration -- his frustration towards Lisette for selflessly endangering herself yet again and at himself for being unable to do the same thing for a young life that so obviously deserved saving. "Over here!" Owen quickly barked as he gently deposited his student on Hope's empty bed. 

As the clan turned towards Owen in shock, Hope's experienced doctors quickly swarmed around the bed, rushed by the urgency they heard in a voice that was usually so calm and collected. "Another one?" the head doctor asked as she took this opportunity to make herself known, turning away from the resumed work on the detective to inspect the new patient. "What do we have here?" 

"The same thing that was wrong with the child -- a bullet wound that has punctured the lung," Owen said quickly in a voice that welcomed no questions. 

Not that she was going to ask any, for after serving as head physician at the Aerie Building for the last two years, Doctor Tasha Rider had quickly learned that it was best not to comment on or question the oddities that were seen. "Fine, prep her for surgery," Doctor Rider quickly ordered as she turned and walked briskly up to the odd group. "I'm not running a circus here," she stated quickly, ignoring Mr. Xanatos and his wife's looks of surprise. "I want everyone out **NOW!**" 

Ignoring the woman's hostility, Brooklyn quickly pushed forward till he was staring hopefully into her steel gray eyes. "Will Lisette be alright?" he asked quickly as he tried not to panic. 

At seeing the unmistakable look of love in the gargoyle's eyes, Rider felt herself soften slightly as the rest of the group began filing slowly from the large room. Sighing softly, she turned and watched as her crew began cutting away the filmy white blouse that modestly covered the beautiful young woman that was busy fighting for her life. "Her chances are better than were the little girl's because of her older age and stronger body," she said honestly, bringing hope to the young gargoyle as he too quietly left the room. 

"But?" Owen asked quietly, knowing that there was more to the story than that. 

Sighing, Doctor Rider slowly turned to regard the majordomo and Mr. Xanatos's right-hand man with even eyes. "Her chances are slim because of the punctured lung," she answered, telling the man what she had been unwilling to tell the young gargoyle. Instantly, his expression became stony as he turned and headed back towards the table where surgery was about to be underway. "I'm sorry, Mr. Burnett," she cut in quickly as she gently grabbed his elbow and began leading him to the door, "but I'm going to have to ask you to wait in the waiting room as well." 

"But..." 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Burnett," she interrupted firmly, "but it's obvious that you have an emotional attachment to the girl that will only serve as a distraction for us. You will wait outside with the others." 

Sighing, Owen knew that she was right as he slowly turned away and towards the door. "You will..." 

"I will notify you of all changes in the patients' conditions," she promised quickly as the man nodded once before slipping from the room. "Although I have a feeling that not all of my news will be welcomed," she murmured as she slowly turned back to her patients. There was work to be done. 

* * *

As his thoughts swirled around him, Goliath slowly stepped into the waiting room, Hope cradled in his arms. As the small child shook with huge sobs, he tried to comfort her while listening to the conversations of the others. Everyone was just so confused, distraught, and disorganized from one shock after another. First they were all hoping and praying for Hope and Elisa, both seriously injured. And then Hope was perfectly healthy and using her magic against the doctors. And now, Lisette was injured somehow and the one fighting for life. And he couldn't make sense of any of it! All around him were confused voices and the confused and _loud_ crying of Hope and Alex. Growling, Goliath had to fight the urge to roar for silence, knowing that it would only make Alex and Hope cry even more. 

Suddenly, Goliath's eyes lit upon Owen who had quietly entered the room from the infirmary. Nodding his head, the massive gargoyle quickly moved across the room till he was towering over the blond man. "Owen, watch over Hope while I sort through this," Goliath ordered quickly as he handed the little girl over, his duties as clan leader always having to come before his personal needs -- like the need to comfort the daughter of his love. His clan and duty would always have to come first. 

Without saying a word Owen accepted the child and then turned away, settling in a chair on the far side of the room. 

Puzzled by Owen's actions, Goliath quickly shook his head and then turned and regarded the rest of the room with a critical eye, checking out his options. Upon entering the waiting room, the group had quickly split into four smaller sub-groups, six counting he and Owen and Hope. Xanatos and Fox were huddled together in one corner trying to comfort their son while Brooklyn sat alone; Hudson, Lexington, Bronx, and Matt in another; and Broadway and... Angela in another. 

Sighing, Goliath slowly lumbered across the room and settled heavily in a hard chair beside his human daughter. "What happened?" he asked, the weariness evident in his low voice. 

"Owen said that Lisette used her magic to save Hope's life," Broadway quickly explained, his usually jovial face downcast. 

"I figured as much," Goliath said heavily as he met his daughter's eyes. "I meant with you." 

"Oh," Broadway murmured as a single tear streaked down his love's face. "I... uh... I'll be back," he muttered as he made a hasty retreat. 

"I'm sorry, Father," Angela whispered quietly as she lifted one ivory hand to wipe her tears away. "I... I asked Lisette to turn me into a human..." she trailed off, unable to believe that only a few short hours ago she and her friend had been having so much fun dancing at the club... now Lisette was hurt and... dying. 

"Why? Why did you want to be human?" Goliath asked slowly, afraid of his daughter's answer. Gargoyles had always been proud, proud to be a gargoyle and proud of their heritage. He would never forget that Angela and the other hatchlings had been raised by humans, many aspects of their lives modeled after them like names and the recognition of biological parents. Secretly, he had always feared that as a result his daughter would be more human than gargoyle... now he was worried that his fears were justified. 

"Oh, I don't want to be human," Angela quickly countered as she regarded her father with solemn eyes. "I just wanted to see what the nightclub was like, and to do that I had to be human... I actually despise being human," she admitted as she inspected her five-fingered hands. "They're so weak and fragile... I had no chance against Thailog..." 

"Thailog?" Goliath asked in surprise. Up until then, Goliath had felt a small smile growing because of his daughter's words -- a smile that instantly vanished at the mention of his clone. 

"Another long story..." 

* * *

Sniffling and hiccupping from her long crying jag, Hope slowly snuggled closer into Unca Owen's arms. "Is... is my mommy gonna be okay?" she asked quietly as she looked up into his bright blue eyes. 

Sighing, Owen rubbed his forehead wearily before meeting Hope's poofy red eyes. "I think so," he murmured absently as he thought of his student. 

As if she knew where his thoughts rested Hope slowly turned her sad eyes to the closed infirmary door. "Who is the pretty girl?" she asked quietly. "The one with the yellow hair that was sleepin'?" 

Smiling slightly, Owen gently squeezed the little girl's hand. "Her name is Lisette." 

"She looks like a nice girl," Hope said quietly. 

"She is... Lisette is very, very nice." 

"As nice as my mommy?" 

"Yes, Hope, as nice as your mother." 

"Well, why was she sleepin'?" Hope asked curiously. "Was she tired?" 

"No, Hope. Lisette is hurt like your mother." 

"Will she be okay like my mommy?" 

"I... I don't think so, Hope." 

"Are you sad?" Hope asked quietly, her little hands gently squeezing his own, she trying to comfort him now. 

"Yes Hope, I'm very sad," Owen admitted quietly. 

"It's okay, Unca Owen. You can cry if you want to," Hope said quietly as she reached forward and kissed his cheek. "Mommy said that it's okay to cry when you're sad." 

"Thank you," was Owen's whispered reply as a single tear trailed unnoticed down one pale cheek. 

* * *

As the hours rolled by, the waiting room slowly and unwillingly, in most cases, began to empty. First to go was Xanatos and Alex, the latter needing his bed and sleep more than any other having long since cried himself to sleep. Next to go was the clan, minus Angela, having no choice but to answer to the rising sun's call. And then it was Matt Bluestone, barely awake and knowing that not only did he work that night, but he also had to cover for his partner as well. And then went Fox, unable to stay awake any longer. 

In the end, only Owen, Angela, and Hope remained, Owen and Angela unwilling to leave and none having the heart to take Hope away. Besides, as Owen had repeatedly pointed out, he would be needed to call and wake the others the moment that there was word. 

And then the waiting was over as an exhausted Dr. Rider stepped out of the door that had been closed for the last ten hours. Instantly Owen was on his feet, Hope beside him and clutching his hand tightly as he tried to read the doctor's expression, Angela standing quietly behind them. 

But the doctor's weary gaze was unreadable as she met his eyes. "Well, I have good news and bad news," she said quietly, her stormy eyes flat as six of the eight doctors, surgeons, and nurses stepped around her and stumbled towards the break room, hoping for a few hours of sleep before they were called upon again. "Both pulled through the surgery okay and Detective Maza, your mother," she said, leaning down to look in the little girl's eyes, "will make a full recovery and be just fine. She's a very strong woman and her injuries should heal nicely..." 

"And Lisette?" Owen interrupted, not sure that he wanted to hear the answer. 

"We were able to repair the damage to her lung," Doctor Rider started slowly as she ran a hand through her short, auburn hair. "But the bullet is lodged near her heart in a place where we wouldn't be able to remove it without killing her." 

"So she still has the bullet within her?" Angela asked slowly, her blood feeling as though it was freezing over. "But she can live with it in her, right?" 

"I'm afraid not," Rider replied quietly, hating this part of her job. "If it was a normal bullet, then yes. But the material that it's made of is slowly killing her..." 

"But because of her heritage the matter shouldn't affect her as badly as anyone else..." Owen muttered slowly. 

"Which just proves to me that if it was possible to remove the bullet then I and my colleagues would be dead now due to the exposure and that the patient would have then been left unattended and would have bled to death," Dr. Rider interrupted quickly, her eyes flashing. 

Startled, Owen took a step back as Hope looked up at him with wide eyes. He hadn't even thought of the fact that exposure to the bullet would kill the humans. "I.. I am sorry. I didn't realize..." 

Smiling sadly, Doctor Rider quickly shook away his apology. "It doesn't matter..." 

"What are her chances?" he interrupted, wanting to get to the point.. to the part that really mattered. 

"I'm sorry, but we don't expect her to make it to sunset." 

"I see," Owen mumbled as Hope squeezed his hand gently. "May we see them?" 

"Of course," the doctor replied quickly. "Detective Maza is awake and eager to see her daughter..." she trailed off as she saw the question in Owen's eyes. "We don't expect the other young woman to regain consciousness again." 

"Thank you," Owen murmured hoarsely as he heard Angela's choked sob from behind him. Turning, he, Hope, and Angela then brushed past the doctor and slipped into the infirmary. 

Instantly Hope was off like a shot as her short legs carried her across the room and to her mommy's side. Gone was the hard steel table from before, having been replaced by a tall bed with metal railings and starched white sheets. "Mommy?" Hope whispered as she stretched up on tip toes, her eyes barely peeking up over the mattress. "Mommy?" she whispered again, finally catching sight of her. But what she saw scared the little girl. Her mommy's face was really white and she looked sick! 

And then Hope was being lifted into the air as Angela stepped up behind her and set her gently on the edge of Elisa's bed. Grimacing, the young gargess-turned-human realized just how bad off Elisa must have been just by seeing her pale skin and haggard appearance. "Elisa?" Angela asked quietly as she reached forward and gently brushed a stray strand of black hair from her face, unnerved by the stark silence that was softened only by the soft beeps and whirs of the machines that surrounded Elisa's bed. 

"Hmm?" Elisa murmured as her dark and tired eyes slowly focused on the two standing before her. 

"Mommy!" Hope cried out in relief as she quickly began scampering across the bed, completely missing her mommy's look of panic that was only softened as a strong pair of arms encircled her waist and halted her mad dash. 

Sighing in relief that her shoulder had been spared from one of her daughter's bone-crushing hugs, Elisa weakly lifted one hand and squeezed Hope's small hand gently. "I'm sorry sweetie, but we'll have to wait for the hug till I'm feeling better," she murmured as she turned her eyes to the person that had saved her from additional torment. "Thank you... Angela?" she asked, squinting her eyes up at the beautiful young woman standing before her. 

Having long since abandoned her grimy club clothes for a more comfortable pair of khaki pants and a plain white tee-shirt, Angela slowly nodded her head. "Yes, Lisette... changed me into a human," Angela murmured, faltering at her friend's name as fresh tears wet her large brown eyes. "Oh Elisa," she murmured as hot tears coursed down her cheeks, moving forward as she gently placed her hand over Hope and Elisa's, "the doctor said that she... she..." 

"I know," Elisa murmured sadly, tears burning her eyes. "I know," she whispered again as she turned and once more regarded the hospital bed that had so captivated her attention since she had waken. If they thought that she looked worse for wear after her ordeal then there had to be something magical about Lisette. Her pale skin looked like porcelain that was off-set by her pale blond hair that shimmered like spun gold under the dimmed lighting. Perhaps the coming of death to those who were undeserving also brought the gift of perfect beauty in the last bit of their life. 

"She did this for Hope," Angela murmured, turning to regard her friend for the first time. While Owen had immediately gone to her side upon entering the room, Angela had been unable. Even from this distance the sight of Owen with his arms clasped tightly behind his back as the machines worked around them was too much. 

"I figured as much," Elisa whispered as she slowly squeezed her daughter's hand. Upon awakening from her drug-induced sleep, Elisa had been hysterical and frantic to find out about her daughter's condition. The only thing that she knew for certain was that before she had been drugged her daughter had been near death, the dark matter bullet that was meant for her having passed right through her body and into her daughter's... a cursed move that had turned her attempt to save her daughter against her. It took three of the doctors to hold her down long enough to be told that no, the person that they were operating on across the room was not a little blond toddler but instead a blond young woman. From there it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Although she would have done anything, and even would have sacrificed anything to save her daughter's life, she still wished that her salvation wouldn't have come at such a high price. Lisette was almost like a daughter to her, so while one had been saved, she still felt as though she were losing another. 

"Why you both cryin'?" Hope asked quietly as she reached forward and brushed a tear away from her mommy's pale cheek. "Is it 'cause the nice lady is sleepin'?" she asked, her bright eyes unusually solemn. 

Slightly surprised, Elisa slowly nodded her head. "Do you know Lisette?" 

"No, but Unca Owen is sad because he loves her," Hope replied as she turned to look at the man that hid Unca Puck, his face cold and impassive. 

"Loves her?" Angela asked in surprise, her eyes growing wide as she stared at the little girl in shock. 

"Yep! Like he loves Alex or like you love her," she explained patiently as she slowly turned to regard them with shining eyes. "But why you so sad 'cause she's sleepin'?" 

Sighing, Elisa closed her eyes briefly before focusing on her daughter once again, idly noticing that the blood stained sundress had been replaced by a beautiful dress fully decked out with satin and lace... probably something that Fox had bought in case she had a girl. "Because.... because she's never going to wake up again," Elisa choked out, the tears now streaming down her face. 

Puzzled, Hope's small brow crunched up as she considered her mommy's words. "She's gonna die?" she asked in that blunt way of all children. 

Biting back her sob, Angela quickly nodded her head. 

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Hope cried out in exasperation. When she got no answer she quickly continued. "But _why_ are you so sad? You should be happy cuz' she can go to Heaven an' be happy there!" 

"Because we don't want to have to say goodbye to her yet, like your daddy and I didn't want to say goodbye to you," Elisa explained as she smiled weakly down at her daughter. 

"Oh, and that's why you're so sad?" Hope asked quietly, her eyes sad once again as Unca Owen slowly stepped beside them. "Well... why don't you make her better, Mommy?" she asked, her expression bright once more. 

Sighing, Elisa slowly shook her head. "I can't sweetie... do... do you remember what your daddy and I told you about dark matter?" Elisa asked slowly. 

Instantly Hope's blue eyes widened as she nodded her head slowly. "That what hurt her?" 

"Yes, that's what hurt both of us," Elisa sighed wearily as she turned to look at Owen. Despite her daughter's words, she could detect no sign that the ice man loved the mage, now dying. Still, deep down under the cold façade she knew that her daughter's perceptive observation had been correct: Owen did love Lisette as a teacher, uncle, and friend. 

Noticing the detective's gaze, Owen slowly averted his tired eyes to the hard linoleum floor. "Doctor Rider was correct," he murmured his voice rough and uncaring, "she will not survive until sunset." 

"The others won't be able to say goodbye," Angela murmured sadly as she turned to look at her friend, lying all alone. "Brooklyn won't be able to say goodbye," she added quietly, knowing that Lisette's death would most likely shatter the second. 

As a heavy silence fell once more over the room, Hope sat on the scratchy white sheets and thought about all that had been said. As the big machines beeped and whirred, a solution finally came to the small girl. "Why don't Unca Puck make her better?" Hope asked, turning a toothy grin on Unca Owen. 

"I only wish that Puck could," Owen murmured as he turned to stare at his student. "The dark matter has no effect on the third race, but Lord Oberon has restricted the Puck's actions so that he can only become Puck when Alex is endangered or in his teachings..." 

"Well can't you just make a lesson out of it?" Angela asked eagerly, hope lighting her eyes for the first time. 

"As a part of Lord Oberon's restrictive spell I am unable to teach Alex any spells that will directly result in endangering his life," Owen responded automatically, his blue eyes dead and lifeless. 

Sighing through her tears, Elisa gently hugged her daughter to her side. So then there was no hope. With the dark matter draining on Lisette's already weakened form, they all knew that the end wasn't far away for the young mage. Turning, she watched as Angela visibly struggled with herself, her face pale as she tightly gripped the cold metal railing that lined her hospital bed. "I.. already had a chance to say goodbye," Elisa murmured as she thought back to her own heartfelt goodbye to the young woman who had grown to be such a large part of their lives. 

When she had first realized that the girl may not survive, Elisa had forced the medical personnel to wheel her bed beside Lisette. It was then that she whispered all of the words that she had never had the chance to say, knowing that somewhere deep inside Lisette was listening. Over and over again Elisa had reminded the young French mage of how much she was loved and urged her not to be afraid -- everything would be alright. She promised. 

Elisa had stayed beside her as long as they would allow, finally relenting and allowing them to move her back to her side of the room. She had lied. Nothing would be alright for a long, long time. 

"Goodbye?" Angela asked weakly, her legs feeling instantly weak. "But..." 

"Angela, I know it's hard," Elisa interrupted sympathetically as she weakly raised one hand and placed it gently on Angela's, still curved tightly around the railing. "But we should feel lucky..." 

"Lucky?!" Angela asked in disbelief, her mind whirling. This was only her second experience with death and the kind of goodbyes that would last for eternity, the first being with the Magus. But this was different than then.. at least the Magus had been old and had lived a full life... Lisette was only nineteen years old. She hadn't even been able to see her still friend -- deal with the fact that she was going to die.. and now Elisa was talking about goodbyes? 

"The others won't even get this chance," Elisa responded solemnly as she turned and took in the cold and calm mask that resided on the face of the man that stood beside her. "She doesn't have much longer... it's time to say goodbye," she finished gently, grateful in the saddest of ways that Hope was curled in her arms and not the one that was quickly slipping away. 

Nodding slowly, Angela felt the tears burn in her eyes as she turned and walked mechanically across the large room, Lisette's borrowed-white tennis shoes tapping loudly on the linoleum floor. It wasn't fair... this whole night wasn't fair Angela realized as she looked down at her still friend. She looked like she was already gone... her black dress was no where to be seen and instead Lisette wore some kind of white and blue checkered material that circled high above her throat and ended loosely around her forearms. Over top, she was covered in scratchy sheets, almost exactly the same as Elisa's with her arms resting lightly over top. Blinking back her tears, Angela gently reached down and took Lisette's pale hand into her own, wary of the padded bandage that was evident under the clothing, careful of the many wires. 

"Hi Lisette," she murmured quietly as she gently squeezed her hand. "I... I don't know what to say besides... I don't want you to go," she sobbed as the tears began to trail down her face yet again. Ignoring them, she gently reached out with one hand and brushed a pale lock of blond hair away from Lisette's face.. even her face showed what she was going through, the pain, as circles darkened the skin beneath her closed lids, her face chalky white with a tube of sorts pushing air into her straight nose, her pale lips pursed slightly. "But the doctors say that you can't stay with us," she whispered hoarsely, quickly brushing the tears aside as she tried a weak smile. 

"Do you remember all of the fun that we've had? I've never.. never had a friend quite like you before," she chuckled. "Look at all of the trouble that we've gotten into together..." Angela trailed off as the tears coursed down her cheeks, her voice no more than a choked whisper. "Why did you do this? Lisette, you have lost _everyone_ close to you in your past life.. sometimes.. sometimes I think that you would rather die yourself than ever lose someone close to you again..." she sniffled. "What you don't understand is that all of us.. me, Brooklyn, Elisa, the clan.. even Owen, I think, would rather die than lose you," Angela murmured as she gently returned her best friend's limp hand to the scratchy sheet. 

"Au revoir, mon amie," she whispered, the French words, the only French words that she had been taught, somehow fitting. "Goodbye, my friend," she repeated as she turned away from the bed quickly. As the sob ripped at her throat, Angela quickly bolted from the room, not daring another glance back at her friend. 

Sighing, Elisa held her daughter closer as she watched Goliath's daughter's hasty departure. "Poor Angela," she murmured absently as she began to stroke her daughter's fine and curly locks. 

"Yes, poor Angela," Owen spat out quietly, immediately annoyed at himself for the sharp retort that had slipped from his lips, blowing the cold comfort that his hardened exterior brought on. As Detective Maza's head snapped in his direction, Owen quickly averted his eyes from her piercing gaze. "If you will excuse me," he murmured, his careful mask of nonchalance returning as he slowly stepped away from the detective's bedside and made the long trek across the infirmary. When he was at Lisette's bedside he slowly and mechanically began dragging the long curtain around her bed, affording them the most privacy that the infirmary could afford. 

Once that was done, Owen felt himself sigh in relief as he stood stiffly beside the young woman, his shoulders melting under the weight of his emotions. Alone at last, Owen finally let the mask of solitude drop as he reached down and took Lisette's soft hand into his own. Only now could he allow his true feelings to show -- his love and his grief. But neither Owen, the shell-man who showed only coldness and loyalty, nor the Puck, who allowed himself only to feel happiness, laughter, and anger, knew much about the intense feelings that they were faced with and knew not how to express themselves -- himself, quite right. 

"What you did, although stupid and foolish, was the right thing to do," Owen began haltingly as he held her hand gently. Even now, he watched as the blips and the bleeps that coldly showed her life force began to slow and ebb. The end for the young woman, his student, was closer than he had feared. "While we all... care for you... young Hope must survive to ensure the success and protection of the mortal world... two protectors will always be better than one," he commented wryly as a grim smile lifted the hard lines of his mouth. "Any and everything must be sacrificed... to... ensure that..." he trailed off as he faltered in his perfect speech. 

Sacrifice? Was that all that her young life amounted to? Her life sacrificed for a greater purpose? A greater good? She looked so young. Her face was pale and unlined, her eyes closed as though sleeping with her pale blond hair cushioned beneath her. She looked so much younger than her nineteen years... or so much older. This woman, a girl really, contained a hardened and wizened knowledge that extended past her nineteen years. She knew that her life meant nothing, was nothing, in comparison with the life of Hope, a young protector. But if that was so, then why did it feel so wrong? 

And then Owen knew. Thinking back, he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when his feelings for the young French mage had changed, when her kindness had finally broken through his cold shell and had warmed his heart with her love. Love... his feelings had changed into a kind of paternal love for her -- and he didn't want her to die no matter how good the reason. 

_Shaking his head, he realized that if one smile from the precious girl was enough for his cold exterior to crack, then he had indeed allowed her into his heart. He would now risk Oberon's wrath for three people: David and Alexander Xanatos and Lisette, the young French mage. _

He had realized that so many months ago when Lisette had been near to losing her mind in the dream spell that she had taken from Elisa and Goliath in order to save them all. Why was he so surprised now? "Je t'aime, mon étudiante," he whispered as a single tear streaked down his cheek. He knew what an effort it was for the native French woman to express herself in English all of the time, a language not of her own, and found himself slipping into her native dialect. "Pour toi, je vais faire quelque chose. Je vais te faire bien... je promis," he whispered as he slowly bent down and brushed a soft kiss across Lisette's cool forehead. 

Sighing, Owen slowly closed his eyes and straightened, focused on the ever-present barrier that restrained himself. His true self. "For you, I will do anything. I will make you well... I promise," he repeated as he began to tug at the barrier, trying desperately to make the invisible wall go down. He needed to escape Oberon's prison... he _had_ to, for Lisette's young life depended on it. "Damn it, where are you?!" he suddenly seethed through gritted teeth as a bead of perspiration broke out on his forehead, Lisette's pale hand gripped tightly in his own as though he could draw strength from the dying girl. He needed to find the hole in Oberon's wall, no matter how small, so that Puck could escape to save the day. Only a fey could survive the drain of the dark matter. Only his kind was unaffected. "Where are you?!" he hissed as his search became frantic. 

"Whatcha lookin' for?" 

Surprised by the small voice, Owen quickly dropped Lisette's hand and stepped back, straightening his tie and stepping back into his emotionless shell in one fluid motion. Turning his rigid shoulder, Owen's cold blue eyes swept the curtained room for the owner to the question. Surprised, he finally found the person in the form of Hope's small face peeking beneath one corner of the curtain. Sighing, Owen slowly allowed his façade to drop slightly as he found a relieved solace in the toddler. He needn't hide with her. "What can I help you with?" Owen asked pointedly as he concentrated on the young mage, once again taking her small hand in his own. 

Sighing softly, Hope took that as an invitation as she quickly crawled forward on the cold floor and slid beneath the curtain. "I asked whatcha lookin' for," Hope repeated as she moved to the tall bed, up on her tip toes as she tried to see over the sheets opposite of Unca Owen. 

Sighing, Owen ignored the child's pouted lips and restrained himself from lifting the small girl onto the bed as she so obviously wanted. "I was trying to find a way around Lord Oberon's spell that prevents me from becoming Puck," he scowled as the girl shrugged her dainty shoulders and used her own magic to lift her and gently set her on the hospital bed, perched beside Lisette. 

"Why?" Hope asked simply, a child's favorite question. 

"So that I can save Lisette," Owen answered irritably, annoyed at seeing the blond child, so exuberant and _alive_, perched beside the young mage as she lay dying. Growling softly, he averted his eyes from her sparkling blue orbs, wanting none of the peace or calm that she radiated as Lisette wasted away. 

"But Unca Obe'ron and Auntie Ti'tanie will be mad at you if you do that," Hope replied solemnly as her eyes grew wide. "Why you do that? Why you help her?" she asked as she jutted a chubby finger at the pretty lady. 

"Because she's dying because she helped you -- she doesn't deserve that," Owen answered honestly, tears burning in his eyes as he realized that there was _no_ hole through which Puck could escape. He was indeed in a prison through which he was forced to watch his student die, forever living with the knowledge that he had the power to save her. 

"Oh," Hope mumbled quietly as she turned her large eyes to the pretty girl's face. Idly, she wondered what color her eyes were as she struggled to understand Unca Owen's words. She didn't know this Leeze.. Lis.. this Lee-zette.. but Lee-zette had helped her. That made her really, really nice. She liked nice people, and earlier Unca Owen had said that she was even nicer than her mommy. And while she doubted that anyone could be nicer than her mommy, she still understood that she had to be really nice. Biting her lip softly, Hope slowly turned back to Unca Owen. "But you'd get into big trouble..." 

"I don't care," Owen cried out bitterly as a sudden flash of light blinded him. Startled, Owen quickly blinked away his spotted vision as he turned back towards the young girl. Surprised, he saw that Hope was now bathed in a green light, her eyes squeezed tight in concentration. 

"Then I will help you," Hope whispered as she felt the magical barricade that surrounded the antsy fey, just as her mommy and daddy had taught her to. But, like Unca Puck, she could find no hole. Unconcerned, she merely concentrated harder and began tugging at the top of the invisible wall, gently pulling it down. 

Surprised once more, Puck wasted no time in escaping from his prison. Even as his true form began to float above Lisette's unmoving body, Puck knew that Oberon was aware of his escape and that his time was short. Quickly he drifted lower and placed his smaller hand on the thin material of the hospital gown that covered Lisette's right breast, directly over the bullet wound. Without wasting time on silly rhymes and other such nonsense, Puck quickly concentrated on the dark matter that was busy draining the life force from the young mage. 

A second later, two things happened at what appeared to be the same instant. Right before Puck, infamous trickster and caring teacher, disappeared in a flash of light, yanked back to Avalon by a furious Lord Oberon, the dark matter bullet disappeared from its place beside Lisette's caring heart and reappeared harmlessly in a mirrored position inside of Puck. 

Blinking her eyes slowly, Hope felt her mouth stretch open in a wide yawn. Sighing softly, her breath smelling like the sweet milk that Fox had given her earlier, the small girl slowly crawled forward and then nestled herself down in Lee-zette's arms. Warm and snug, she gently laid her tiny hand on the pretty lady's owie and smiled as a warm sleep pulled her down. Lee-zette would be okay... she only hoped that the same could be said about Unca Puck -- Unca Obe'ron's anger was notorious even to her. 

And with that, the heavy hand of sleep clamped down on the small child, warm and snug in a stranger's arms -- safe and protected until the coming of the new night.

**THE END**


	14. Saving Trickster Puck

**"Saving Trickster Puck"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 08/16/00

Revised on: 11/23/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. The characters of Talika, Lisette, and Caleb on the other hand, are of the author's creation and should not be used without her express permission. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the tenth part of the Talika series. Also, there is a little bit of French used within. For those parts you will see the translation immediately following in brackets like these and anything in italics is considered a flashback to a scene from a previous fic. Another also... because most of the fic takes place in Avalon, I had to account for Avalon time in which the 'real' world runs 24 times faster than in Avalon. 

Brief summary: Puck acted to stop what he felt in his heart was wrong. Now, it's up to the others to save him from his actions. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

Previously in "Hope"... 

Gasping, Elisa felt the tears pour down her cheeks as she clutched the little angel to her that she hadn't held since near the beginning of time. Turning, she met Goliath's shocked eyes. "My baby's back..."

* * * * * 

As the muzzle flashed on the gun, Elisa reacted on instinct as she twisted her body sharply so that Hope was smashed against her chest as her bare back faced in the direction that Lex's voice had come from. 

And in that instant, a fine spray of red blood flashed out from the middle of Elisa's back as the dark matter bullet tore through her skin, her back arching in pain even as she convulsively clutched her daughter closer. Not even a second later that same bullet tore its brutal exit as it ripped out of Elisa's chest and then lodged itself in Hope's small body even as the gun disappeared in a flash of light. 

Gasping in pain as the sharp copper taste of her own blood filled her mouth, Elisa slumped forward to the ground as she heard the pounding of footsteps of the others from all around her. Crying out as the blinding pain made her immobile, Elisa looked down with dimming vision and watched as a faint trickle of blood trailed out of Hope's lips, her small eyes closed and her features relaxed. "No," Elisa moaned as she clutched at her daughter, Hope's blood mixing with her own as it made her hands slippery. "No," she whispered as she caught sight of the bloody hole high in her daughter's chest, quickly staining her white dress red. The scene was too familiar as déjà vu swept over her. She was losing her daughter for a second time.

* * * * * 

"Owen, what's wrong with her?" Angela asked quickly as the manservant knelt beside her. In the last few seconds Lisette's tan skin had turned a dusty white as her breathing became low and ragged -- it sounded as though she had to fight for each breath she took. 

"She saved Hope," Owen muttered as he quickly reached forward and placed his hand high over the smooth black material that covered her breast. When he drew his hand away, his pale skin was sheathed in red blood that the black dress concealed.

* * * * * 

A second later, two things happened at what appeared to be the same instant. Right before Puck, infamous trickster and caring teacher, disappeared in a flash of light, yanked back to Avalon by a furious Lord Oberon, the dark matter bullet disappeared from its place beside Lisette's caring heart and reappeared harmlessly in a mirrored position inside of Puck. 

* * *

**_Saving Trickster Puck_**

Avalon -- Throne Room 

"Me Lord an' Yer Highness, I 'ave come t'accept yer invitation ta y'er gala tamorrow eve on behalf of Tom an' th' eggs," Princess Katherine called out graciously as she dropped into a low curtsy before the royalty of Avalon as the murmured words of approval drifted out in the large room, filled to overflowing by the children of Oberon. 

Nodding her head in approval at the human's actions, Queen Titania slowly gestured for the aging woman to rise. "We thank you, Princess Katherine, for your graciousness and for the help of the gargoyles, Avalon's Honor Guard." 

Bowing once more, Princess Katherine took her cue of dismissal and rose elegantly. Turning, she linked arms with Tom and began walking past the odd assortment of fey towards the door, Gabriel and Ophelia falling into step behind them. 

Stifling his yawn of boredom, Oberon turned slightly and rested his eyes on his beautiful wife. "We grow weary of this," he murmured beneath his breath as she turned her enchanting eyes on him. "Perhaps we should close court for the evening so that we can..." he broke off, his suggestion lost to him as a faraway look, filled with anger, entered his eyes as they began to glow a bright green. 

"What is it, my husband?" Titania asked quickly as Oberon stiffly stood from his throne, his eyes fully blazing now. 

"**PUCK!!!**" was Oberon's roared response as he raised his hand, the air directly before their raised dais shimmering with magic. 

Startled, Titania could only watch in growing confusion as Puck flashed into existence before them, his magic hampered by her husband as he fell to the hard stone floor. "Puck, what have you done?" she asked quickly as the room became thunderous with the astonished voices of the fey's brethren. 

Wincing at his sore bottom, Puck slowly climbed to his feet and met his Queen's wide eyes. "I saved a life that deserved saving," he answered solemnly as he brushed his long white hair from his face, noting that his usual flippancy and sarcasm were no where to be found. 

"No, what you did was_openly defy Oberon's decree!!_" Oberon roared as magical chains wrapped tightly around the helpless fey, his magic stripped. "And for that your punishment shall be severe..." 

* * *

Aerie Building -- Infirmary 

Sighing softly, Lisette slowly felt the layers of her deep, drug-induced sleep peel away, bringing her further and further out of the darkness. But with that movement towards consciousness came a deep and numbing pain -- so great that the temptation to hide back in the oblivion of darkness gnawed at her mind. Still, she was filled with warmth at the thought of breaking free from her dark web, knowing that those that she loved would be waiting for her. And it was that thought that finally propelled her forward out of the darkness and into the light. 

As Lisette's eyes blinked open, the first thing that she became aware of was a blinding pain that radiated forth from her chest and spread throughout her body. Groaning, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut once more as the waves of pain overwhelmed her. "Oh là là," she murmured as she fought at the blackness that threatened to devour her. 

And then a different sensation registered in her mind as she became aware of a small weight that pressed against her left side and arm. Confused, Lisette slowly blinked her eyes open and turned her head slightly till she was looking down at a mop of curly blond hair. "La petite ânge?" The little angel? she mumbled quietly, finding her voice thick and scratchy. "Mais... où-est moi?" But... where am I? she questioned as she slowly turned her head to take in her surroundings. "L'infirmerie? Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé?" The infirmary? What happened? she murmured as her soft words mingled with her deep pain. 

And then the small child stirred in her arms and turned till her large blue eyes met Lisette's. "You talk funny," she declared as she slowly stretched her small arms above her head, her small mouth open wide in a yawn. 

"Excusez-moi?" Excuse me? Lisette mumbled in confusion as she tried to grab a hold of her muddy thoughts. All that she could remember was a faint, wispy dream of Angela as a human, a large gargoyle that looked and sounded exactly like Goliath, and of Elisa and her... daughter being injured? As her blue eyes widened further with amazement, Lisette slowly lifted one weak hand and ran it across the child's smooth cheek. "Tu es la fille d'Elisa, non? Tu t'appelle Hope?" 

"What?" Hope asked as her tiny brows crunched in confusion. "You don't make no sense!" she cried out as she sat up and stared at Lee-zette. 

"Oh," Lisette murmured as she finally realized that she had unknowingly slipped back into her native language. "Um... I said that you are Elisa's daughter... that your name is Hope?" she questioned as she shifted slightly in the hard hospital bed, grimacing as a fresh wave of pain rippled out from her chest. 

"I'm Hope, but my mommy is Talika -- not 'Lisa," Hope stated calmly as she watched the pretty lady with interest. 

"Oh, yes of course," Lisette murmured absently as she weakly lifted one hand and began to gently explore the large bandage that rested beneath the stiff and loose clothing that she wore. 

"You have a big owie," Hope volunteered as she was once more looking into Lee-zette's pretty blue eyes. 

"Yes I do," Lisette agreed, a small frown playing on her lips as she leaned back and rested her head on the plump, white pillow, one hand weakly reaching up to pull a strange hose-like device away from her nose. "Would you happen to know _how_ I got this... owie?" she murmured, stumbling over the word as the pain rolled throughout her small form. 

Frowning, Hope looked at the older girl in confusion. "Unca Puck said that you got your owie by helpin' me." 

"I did?" Lisette asked in confusion. Groaning, she wearily closed her eyes. This was going to be a _long_ day.. or night? 

* * *

As his hard-soled shoes tapped lightly on the polished floors, David Xanatos slowly went over the marketing report in his head... or at least _tried_ to. Sighing, the billionaire finally gave up as he turned into yet another brightly lit hallway, his mind going a mile a minute. Sunset was still a good four and a half hours away and there was plenty to be done before then. For instance, Detective Bluestone had been calling his office every hour for the last four hours for word on his partner's condition. Unfortunately, since he had heard nothing from Owen, he had no news. As far as he knew, the detective and young Lisette were both still in surgery -- although he had never before heard of an operation that lasted fifteen hours. 

Still, in the end he told Matt to tell Captain Chavez that he had been notified that Detective Maza had been shot while off-duty somewhere in upstate New York and had been hospitalized there. In other words, the vaguer the better with Detective Bluestone being too traumatized to remember only the barest of details.... it would do as an explanation for now. 

But even though that portion of the problem had been dealt with, Xanatos still found himself swamped under the bigger picture: Detective Maza and Lisette had both been shot with dark matter bullets, perhaps fatally in Lisette's case. And that... **THAT** was the thing that weighed the heaviest upon him. Not that he didn't get any work done this day, or that he had to manage without Owen, his right-hand man, or even the fact that without Owen there to remind him he had inadvertently stood up the Mayor, forgetting their lunch date. No, it was the young mage's imminent death that weighed so heavily upon him. 

During the last year that she had been living with them at the castle, she had become such an integral part of the day to day scene: eating her meals with his family, baby-sitting Alex, working out with he and Fox in the gym, taking her lessons with Puck and Alex, and even helping him out on occasion in the office. By now, she was as much family as was Owen. 

Sighing, that thought brought Xanatos to an abrupt halt as his frown deepened. Owen had been in his services for a long, long time, and throughout it all he had been nothing but loyal and obedient. But beyond that, the man became somewhat of a confidante and, more importantly, a friend. Owen had even gone so far as to disobey and defy Oberon, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. That went above and beyond the call of duty and it was an act that Xanatos would never forget... which made this matter all the more difficult. 

David Xanatos was not a stupid man. He couldn't be or else he wouldn't be where he was today. Therefore, it was easy for him to see how much Owen cared for the French mage, his feelings carefully hidden beneath a mask of nonchalance. All in all, that made David even more worried about how Owen would be able to handle the young woman's death. 

Shaking his head, David quickly started walking as he rounded the final corner that emptied into the... empty waiting room? Puzzled, Xanatos arched one eyebrow before slowly pushing open the infirmary door and stepping into the darkened room. Squinting as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting, David turned away from the curtained off portion to the left and began slowly walking towards the single bed that sat to the right. 

What hit him right away was the eerie silence that filled the room, broken only be the soft sounds that emanated out from the life support machines that were scattered throughout the room. Not a person was in sight, which made him think that the operations had been finished for quite a while. "Detective Maza?" he asked quietly as he approached the woman's bedside, noting that besides being pale, she seemed to be alright.. or at least not dying. 

Sighing, Elisa's eyes slowly fluttered open as she focused on the tall man that stood beside her, immaculate in every way. "Xanatos?" she croaked, dismayed at how weak her body felt. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently, or as gently as he could manage given their history together. 

"How in the hell do you think?" Elisa asked crossly as she tried to ignore the numbing pain in her shoulder. 

"Given your attitude, better than I had expected," Xanatos replied with a smirk as he ignored Elisa's glare. "But I was wondering if you had seen Owen..." he trailed off as the detective's expression immediately fell. "He... was supposed to notify me of any changes in your and Lisette's condition," he continued as Elisa seemed to struggle to hold back tears. That, most of all, surprised and disturbed him for the detective was a noted strong woman which made him believe that it took a great deal to reduce her to this. 

"Owen and Hope were allowed in a long time ago," Elisa explained quietly as her eyes drifted to the curtained portion of the room. "Lisette... wasn't expected to last much longer and Owen and Hope have been with her ever since..." she trailed off as Xanatos turned and began walking across the room. 

As the billionaire and ex-villain drew closer, he heard the soft murmuring of voices. Sighing, he stopped outside of the curtain and steeled himself for what he thought he would see next. "Owen," he began as he drew the curtain aside... and stopped and what he saw. "Lisette?" he asked in confusion as he met her alert but pain-glazed blue eyes. From the way Detective Maza had been talking, he expected to find nothing more than a body, let alone her away and chatting with Elisa's daughter. 

"That's Alex's daddy," Hope said to Lee-zette as she pointed to the tall man that had interrupted their talk about her kitty, Artemis. 

"**LISETTE!!!**" another voice screeched from behind Alex's daddy. 

Swiveling, the little girl focused on a young woman who stood just inside the room's doorway, her face pale and framed by wisps of dark brown hair. "An' that's Angela, 'Liath's daughter," Hope explained as Angela pushed past Alex's daddy and wrapped her arms tightly around Lee-zette. 

Instantly the world swam around Lisette as pain flared within every inch of her body. "Angela.. s'il vous plaît... stop!" she gasped as tears of pain coursed down her already pale cheeks. 

Immediately abashed, Angela quickly drew back and stared at her friend in horror. "Oh no! I am so sorry, Lisette!" she whispered as tears pooled in her large brown eyes. "Please do not leave me!" 

"Leave you?" Lisette asked in confusion as the pain slowly ebbed away. "Why would I leave you? Where would I go?" 

"You were dying," another voice explained slowly. 

Confused, Lisette turned and watched as Xanatos wheeled a bed, similar to her own, beside her, Elisa propped within. "Dying?" Lisette croaked, her eyes wide as she took in the amazement that was evident on everyone's face... save one. 

"Yeah, but she's better now," Hope stated calmly as she moved carefully over to her mommy's bed, quickly snuggling by her side. 

"But... how is that possible?" Angela whispered as she gently squeezed Lisette's hand, immensely grateful that it _was_ possible. 

"Unca Puck helped Lee-zette," Hope responded as she began absently twirling a piece of her mommy's black hair around her finger. 

"But Owen couldn't have become Puck," Xanatos quickly denied, shaking his head firmly. "Alex was with Fox the whole day and he wasn't in danger." 

"I helped 'im," she grinned, her large blue eyes twinkling. 

Shutting her eyes, Lisette tried to process the information that she had been given through her cloud of pain. Puck had saved her? How? If he had saved her, then why was she still in pain now?... unless he only took enough to keep her alive! But could he do that? Sighing, Lisette shrugged off the questions and instead focused on the only one that mattered: "Hope, where _is_ Puck?" 

"He had to go home," the little girl replied sadly as she slowly sat up and stared into Lee-zette's eyes.. now she realized that they were blue.. a very pretty blue. 

"Home?" Xanatos asked in confusion. "This _is_ Puck's home." 

"No, Unca Obe'ron made Puck go home to Av'lon... he's very mad at Puck," she admitted solemnly. 

"Uh oh," Elisa murmured as Xanatos quickly swung his head in her direction, all of the pieces finally falling into place. 

"What happened?" David Xanatos asked slowly, his eyes glittering dangerously. 

"Owen turned into Puck and, in the process, went against Oberon _again_," Elisa explained, wincing as she thought of the trouble that the small trickster must be in. 

"What do we do?" Angela asked slowly, remembering all too well the anger that she had glimpsed during the two times that she had encountered the lord of the third race. 

"Well why don't we just go to Av'lon an' get Puck from Unca Obe'ron an' Auntie Tie'tanie?" Hope asked as she raised her hands slightly and shrugged her little shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Intrigued by her daughter's suggestion, Elisa slowly arched one eyebrow as she regarded Angela and Xanatos. "Why don't we?" she asked as she turned, her eyes narrowing as Lisette weakly began to pull various wires and sensors away from her body, wincing as they ripped at the younger woman's skin. 

"What are you doing?" Angela cried out in horror as her friend ripped out a needle that had been taped to her wrist, the wound oozing a thick red blood. 

"Well, I cannot very well go if I am attached to all of these... contraptions, can I?" Lisette murmured with a weak wave at her life support machines as she allowed David to tape a thick, white strip of gauze over her wrist, stanching the blood flow. 

"But... but you're in no condition to travel to Avalon," Angela protested as a look of determination covered Lisette's pale face. 

"If you do not take me with you then I will find a way to Avalon by myself," Lisette ground out, clenching her teeth as she concentrated on her magic and weakly shifted her clothing until she was covered in a soft gown of deep burgundy that circled low along her bust line. All in all, the deep coloring made her skin look even paler as the long sleeves and thick material hid the bandages from sight. "Puck saved me..." she whispered as tears rushed her eyes. "... it is my fault that he now faces Lord Oberon's wrath and you can be damn sure that I will not just lie here when he needs me most!" she cried out, her eyes flashing green with her defiance. 

"Well, technically you could say that the blame ultimately lies with whoever shot Elisa," Xanatos put in easily, trying to ease the tension somewhat. 

Instantly, Elisa turned and looked at the man in surprise. "You mean that it wasn't..." 

"Not that I could tell," Xanatos interrupted with a slight nod at Hope, the girl's bright blue eyes following the conversation closely. He remembered all to well the intense heartache that the little girl had experienced when her father left, even though she had obviously forgotten for the moment, and had no intentions of putting her through it again -- especially when time was short and Puck's livelihood, possibly his life, depended on their arrival in Avalon as soon as possible. "You would have to talk with Lexington -- he was the closest." 

"And none of that matters right now! Rien! Nothing!" Lisette cried as she finished ripping off the remaining sensors. "All that matters is helping Puck and **I AM GOING!!!**" 

For once, Elisa didn't argue as she nodded her head in agreement. "And while I am too weak to accompany you all, I should be able to send you to Avalon..." 

"Us all?" Angela asked weakly. 

"Yes, you, Xanatos, and Hope will travel with Lisette," Elisa instructed as Xanatos gently lifted the young woman into his arms, wincing at her muffled cry of pain. 

"But she's even weaker than you are! A bullet punctured her lung!" Angela cried, watching as Lisette tried to hide her obvious pain. 

"I know," Elisa murmured as she gently squeezed Angela's tanned, five-fingered hand, the young woman like yet another daughter to her, "but Lisette may be able to help convince Titania and Oberon and it will take all that I have to transport you there." 

Sighing, Angela closed her eyes and nodded briefly, vowing that at the slightest sign of complications she would find a way to get Lisette back and to the medical attention that she needed. 

As if reading her thoughts, Elisa turned and eyed the young mage. "Lisette, if you start to have any troubles..." 

"Then Puck will bring us back," was Lisette's soft reply as her eyes slid open, revealing her bright blue eyes filled with determination. 

"But if..." 

"I will not be leaving Avalon's shores without my teacher," Lisette replied firmly as she closed her eyes and rested in Xanatos's strong arms. 

Sighing, Elisa quickly shook her head. That girl had one of the most kindest and caring hearts of anyone she knew -- and one of the most stubborn. To make it worse, Lisette actually had the power to back up her threat, or at least to make a good effort. Frowning, Elisa quickly turned back to Angela and met the young woman's dark eyes. "Since Oberon doesn't know Lisette and thinks less than highly of his son-in-law..." 

"The feeling is mutual," Xanatos added with a wry grin. 

"... you will have to explain what has been happening with Hope and Caleb," Elisa continued without pause. 

"And Hope?" Angela asked quietly as she lifted the small girl into her arms, turning slightly to see Xanatos standing beside her, carrying Lisette as though she weighed nothing at all. 

"Hope will be there to help soften up her god-parents with her irresistible charm," Elisa said as she winked at her daughter. 

Returning her mommy's wink, Hope turned and felt her bright smile fade away as she saw Lee-zette shake lightly in Alex's daddy's arms. "You're cold," Hope stated as a frown tugged at her lips. But before anyone could reply, the little girl flashed a bright green and a moment later Lisette was wrapped in a heavy, flowing black cape that was secured at her shoulders. 

Rolling her eyes at her daughter's extravagantness, Elisa quickly nodded at the four travelers. "Now, are you guys ready?" she asked, turning serious once more. At their nods of agreement, some somewhat reluctant, Elisa slowly turned to regard Lisette's pale form. "And please hurry," she whispered sadly as her eyes locked with Lisette's. "I don't want her away from the infirmary any longer than she has to be." 

Ignoring the challenge that he knew was shining in Lisette's eyes, Xanatos gently shifted her in his arms, wincing at her groan of pain. "We will... and tell Fox to take care of things while I'm gone," Xanatos added, almost as an after thought, well aware that time passed by much more quickly in the mortal world than on Avalon. He just hoped that fact would be their saving grace in getting them to Avalon in time to save Puck. 

"I will, and just remember to let Angela do the talking," Elisa instructed as she closed her eyes and concentrated on what needed to be done. Because it was dark matter that wounded her, the bullet wound would be one that would only heal with time. And because of that and the subsequent operation, her body was now very weak. Still, Puck's very life could depend on her ability to transport the four to Avalon. She had no choice but to succeed. 

"Even though he can be irritating... he's helped me out so much," Elisa murmured as her weakened body began to tremble under the force of the power that she possessed. "Take him the help that he deserves," she whispered as the magic built and surrounded the four travelers. And as the group disappeared in a flash of light, a scream of pain erupted from Elisa's lips as the raw power drew on her battered body more than it was able to give. 

Seconds later there was a silence that was broken only by the frantic beeping of the life support machines and the panicked voices of the medical staff as they raced back into the room. Their patient had stopped breathing. 

* * *

Avalon -- Throne Room 

"My husband, first you should hear Puck out," Titania pleaded, instantly fearing that the life that the little trickster had to save was her son-in-law's... or even worse, her beloved daughter. 

"We will hear no excuses from his traitorous mouth!" Oberon roared as he glared down at the little fey, looking carefree and defiant despite his tight chain bindings. 

"But..." Titania began when a single fey broke loose from her brethren from the back of the Great Hall and strode forward, pushing past Princess Katherine and her entourage who had been quietly watching up until this point, and knelt before them. 

"Lord Oberon, Queen Titania," Selene nodded as she bowed her raven head. "There are visitors from the mortal world waiting with my sisters who request an immediate audience." 

"Ah ha! And the cavalry has arrived!" Puck quickly sang out with a confidence that he didn't feel, all the while wondering who would be coming to his rescue... if the visitors were indeed visiting on his behalf. 

Growling, Oberon was about to order the mortals, whoever they were, off his isle when his wife lay a calming hand on his arm. "Perhaps an audience with Talika?" she murmured, hinting at the fact that denying Talika, protector of the mortal world, an audience would be unwise. 

"Show them in," Oberon murmured, his voice low as his eyes glittered dangerously. "Although she better not be trying to stick her nose in fey matters. This is none of her concern," he muttered quietly. 

Nodding her head, Selene rose quietly and moved to the doors of the Great Hall amidst the murmured speculation of her brethren. A few moments later the three sisters entered as one, their robes flowing around their shapely bodies as a tall human male with broad shoulders, dark hair and a goatee, a young woman cradled in his arms, and another beautiful young human with a long brown braid trailed behind. 

"May we present..." Selene began as they approached the dais, her face expressionless. 

"... David Xanatos, Angela..." Luna continued without pause. 

"... Lisette and Hope," Phoebe finished as the three stepped to the side. 

"**_WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!?!_**" Puck suddenly exploded, causing all to jump in surprise as the fey tried to dart forward, only to be halted by a furious Lord Oberon. "Get her out of here **RIGHT NOW!!**" Puck bellowed, surprising even himself at his sudden anger. All he knew was that something horrible would happen if his student remained on the isle any longer. 

"**ENOUGH!!**" Oberon roared as Titania slowly stared back and forth between her favorite trickster and the young woman that he was obviously referring to, cradled in her son-in-law's arms. Instantly following their lord's command, the room was filled with silence. "Now, David Xanatos," Oberon called out, his eyes glittering with anger. "We are not on good terms with the likes of you and you are **NOT** welcomed to Oberon's isle. How _dare_ you arrive here uninvited..." he sputtered, the mortal looking completely unconcerned as Titania lay a gentle hand on his blue arm. 

"Be quiet, my husband," she murmured as her eyes locked on a small face that was peering cautiously from around David Xanatos's pant legs. "Are you seeing what I am seeing?" 

"What?" Oberon asked irritably as he shifted uncomfortably on his throne, his face red with anger as he glared back and forth between Puck and Xanatos. 

"Step forward child... you needn't be afraid," Titania called out as she slowly slid forward and beckoned gently to the small child. 

Hesitantly, the little girl did as asked as she slowly moved forward and frowned up at her god parents. "Is Unca Obe'ron mad at Unca Puck?" she asked as the gathered fey craned their necks to look at the small, golden-haired child. 

"Hope!" Titania called out in delight as she quickly stepped forward and dropped to her knees, spreading her arms wide. Instantly, the little four-year old was off like a shot as she threw herself into Auntie Tie'tanie's arms. 

"How can this be? We do not understand," Oberon murmured as his wife slid back onto her throne, Talika's child held firmly in her arms as the murmuring of the gathered fey grew louder. All gathered had heard of the small angel if not actually had seen her when she still lived, yet all knew that she was dead.. or was supposed to be. 

"I can explain everything," the young human with the brown braid cautiously volunteered as Princess Katherine, Guardian Tom, Gabriel, and Ophelia startled at the familiar voice. 

"And who are you?" Oberon asked wearily, the fight having left his body at the surprise of Hope. 

"I am Angela, daughter to Goliath who is leader of the Manhattan clan," Angela proudly stated as the murmured voices in the room grew louder. Unable to resist, the young woman risked a quick glance at her rookery brother and sister whom she had spied earlier, almost smiling at their evident shock. 

"But you are human," Titania murmured, finally seeing Goliath's daughter in the young woman. 

"Yes, Lisette turned me into a human," Angela admitted guiltily. 

"Who?" Oberon asked quickly, the name sounding familiar somehow. 

"I am Lisette, my Lord," the young blond woman called out as Xanatos gently set her on her feet, his arm wrapping tightly around her waist as her long cape swirled around her. 

"Xanatos, get her out of here!" Puck spoke up once more, his eyes pleading with his friend as he saw that the only reason that she was standing was because Xanatos supported her full weight, her eyes showing her pain as her breathing became shallow. 

"Puck, we will have _silence _from your mouth!!" Oberon growled, his eyes flashing green in anger as everyone in the room jumped besides the four visitors, Puck, and his wife. "Or do I need to gag you as well?!" 

Frowning, Titania only half-listened as her husband ranted his anger and instead focused on the young woman. Besides the fact that she looked remarkably like what she envisioned Hope to resemble as she grew older, the young woman seemed familiar. Also, it was evident to her that there was something seriously wrong with the girl, her voice weak yet sure with each movement causing a grimace of pain to light up her face... which made her wonder what this Lisette was even doing there. Then again, just by seeing the love and concern on Puck's face, Titania knew her wonderment was foolish. She hadn't seen that look since the last time that Puck had defied her husband -- the two obviously cared a great deal for one another.. which also made her wonder why Puck was so insistent about her not being there. It was almost as if he feared for her safety more so than her health. Curious, she quickly stilled her husband once more and nodded at the young woman. "Explain yourself," she commanded as she locked eyes with the human. 

Nodding, Lisette tried to draw strength from her aching body as she leaned heavily against Xanatos. "We were sent by Talika on her behalf to speak for Puck..." she trailed off as Titania lifted one slender hand. 

Upon the mention of her old friend, Titania nodded her head slowly. Now she remembered where she had seen the blond girl and had heard the name -- Talika's last visit had been to inquire about the girl's parentage about two weeks ago, a year in mortal time. "Where is Talika?" 

"Mommy's got an owie," Hope volunteered, her bright blue eyes so serious as she looked from Titania to Oberon. 

"What?!" Oberon and Titania asked simultaneously as they turned as one to Goliath's daughter. 

Sighing, Angela quickly glanced apologetically at Lisette's wan face before meeting the eyes of the Lord and Queen. She knew that her friend was in pain and needed rest, but one glance into the eyes of Lord Oberon and Queen Titania was enough to convince her that not another word would be spoken about Puck until all was explained. "About nine months ago Caleb, Talika's ex-husband, attacked us in hopes of restoring his leadership and relations with her," Angela explained slowly, beginning to feel uncomfortable as she realized that the entire room was focused on her words. 

"Caleb?" Oberon asked in surprise, speaking aloud the name that hadn't been spoken by the third race in millenniums. 

"Yes, he used dark matter against us and protected himself with a white stone," Angela explained. "Lisette, somewhat protected by her heritage, was able to get the stone away and... hurt him with a blade of dark matter," she murmured, wary of Hope's small eyes on her. 

"Hurt him?" Titania asked in confusion as she gently hugged the small child that sat in her lap. 

"We think that someone has been helping him and while we thought he was... out of the picture, he really must have been recuperating," Angela quickly explained as a look of puzzlement covered the Queen's regal face. 

"An... intriguing tale," she murmured as she slowly pondered the young woman's words, her husband silent beside her. "Yet how do you explain Hope?" 

"We think that with this person's help they were able to bring her back," Angela explained as she absently brushed a stray lock of brown from her face. "And then tonight, Talika and Hope were shot with dark matter bullets..." 

"What?!" Oberon roared as he jumped to his feet, his eyes blazing yet again. "How dare you!! Lord Caleb would never harm his wife, let alone his child!!!" 

Thinking back to the knife wound that 'Lord Caleb' had induced upon his 'wife,' Xanatos felt his lips pull up in a smirk. "We don't think that it was Caleb," he said quietly, his smile bright even as worry gnawed at his mind. He had never been to Avalon before, and while the enchanted isle and the bizarre assortment of fey fascinated him, Oberon's obvious anger did not. Then, there was also Puck's frantic pleas for him to get Lisette away from Avalon. He knew that the young woman was weak and in tremendous pain, but he didn't think her condition could turn life-threatening by being away from the infirmary... which made him wonder what Puck knew that he didn't. 

Somewhat calmed, Oberon stiffly sat down once again and glared at Xanatos. This was difficult for him... Caleb had been the closest thing to a real friend that Oberon had ever had, and it took everything in his power to put Caleb away all those years ago when he had turned against the humans. Now, to hear that he was back... it made Oberon feel guilty in the worst way -- like he had betrayed his own friend. "And who do you think did this?" 

"Good question," Xanatos replied with a grin as Lisette sagged a little more against him. "This only happened last night, so we haven't had a chance yet to sort through everything." 

"And you believe that this.. mysterious benefactor of Lord Caleb was the one who attacked?" Lord Oberon asked slowly, finally pushing his anger aside so that he could ponder the mortal's words. 

"It's crossed my mind a time or two," Xanatos admitted, seeing by Puck's features that he had been thinking along the same line. 

"And that's how Talika was injured?" Titania asked, concern crossing her features as she imagined what it would be like if it was her or her husband shot, only with iron bullets. 

"Yes, Detective Maza was shot in the back in her shoulder," Xanatos explained, slightly amused to see the color drain from the faces of the King and Queen of Avalon. "Luckily the bullet passed right through her and into Hope and she should recover in time..." 

Holding up his hand, Oberon quickly stilled the human as a frown covered his face. "We do not understand," he stated as he turned to look at his goddaughter's wide blue eyes. "You said that Hope was..." 

"Lee-zette made me all better," Hope interrupted with a bright smile as she played with Auntie Tie'tanie's hand. 

Nodding in understanding, Titania turned and regarded the silent young woman once more. "So that is what ails you, child?" she asked, noticing for the first time that what she mistook for a normal ivory complexion could actually be how very pale the young woman was. 

"Oui, your highness," Lisette murmured as she tried to hide her growing pain and the fact that she was growing weaker by the minute. 

"She would have died, too, if Puck had not taken the dark matter from her," Angela quickly volunteered, seeing an opening that she couldn't hope to pass up. 

"I see," Titania murmured as she stared at the young woman in interest. "And earlier something was mentioned about your heritage protecting..." she trailed off as Puck lit up once again, yanking at his chains. 

"I don't see the relevance!" he quickly interrupted, drawing all intention away from his student, the way that he preferred. "We are all here to discuss me and my punishment for disobeying once again, yada, yada, yada," he quickly rattled off as Daddy Oberon became livid once again with anger for the small fey. 

"Apparently the Puck realizes not how precarious his position sits," Oberon growled as he stiffly rose to his feet, his hands crackling with his magical fury. "Apparently he does not realize that no fey has ever lived after crossing Oberon twice!" he roared as the room erupted in amazed and frightened voices. 

"Apparently he does not care," Puck muttered quietly, mimicking Oberon, not realizing that he spoke aloud until it was too late. 

"**_I WILL HAVE NO MORE INSUBORDINATION IN MY COURT!!!_**" Oberon bellowed, his fury having no limits as he lost the royal 'we' and the third person speech that was so evident for him. In his mind, Puck had just sealed his fate as Oberon quickly lashed out with his magical fury. 

And then, as Lisette's senses were overloaded by the powerful magic, she grabbed onto a strength that she didn't know that she possessed as she stepped away from Xanatos and became sheathed in a green light. Her body and mind knew only one command and acted as one entity to carry it out: save Puck. Screaming out his name, Lisette felt her magic drain from her and poured out in a single green beam of light that collided with Oberon's deadly ray, both dissolving one another as her world went dark once more. 

* * *

As her husband unleashed his fury, Titania felt everything move in slow motion. "No!" she cried out as she felt the force of his magic, knowing that without his magic to protect himself, Puck would surely be killed. But even as her cry mingled with that of the others, another scream shattered the quiet. Swiveling in slow motion, Titania watched as a bright green wave of magic poured forth from the young blond woman who was now standing alone. And then in amazement she watched as Lisette's magic dissolved her husband's, leaving Puck unscathed as the young woman tumbled unconscious to the stone floor. 

"**LISETTE!!**" Puck called out in horror as he tried to rush to his fallen student, only to be held back by Raven and Coyote. Instantly, Xanatos and Angela were kneeling down beside her, concern evident on their faces as Titania slid from her throne, setting Hope gently on the ground as she joined them. All the while Puck's numb mind registered the fact that Oberon sat back on his throne in shock, a thoughtful expression on his face as he watched the scene unfold with an air of detached curiosity. Shaking his head, Puck briefly struggled against his captors as he cursed Lisette's actions in his mind. 

"Hold still!" Raven grumbled as he tightened his hold on Puck's magical chains. "We're doing this for your own good!" 

"Let me go!" Puck cried out, his face livid as his eyes locked on Lisette's still form. She looked like a fallen angel with her burgundy dress spread around her, the black cloak protecting it from the stone floor, as her hair fanned out like a halo beneath her head. "I have to help her!" 

"You would be helping her most by staying out of Oberon's way," Coyote said quickly, hoping to calm his friend. "Besides, she looks to be fine," he soothed, barely able to believe what he had just witnessed -- he doubted that even he would have been able to do what the young woman had. 

Sure enough, the words barely left his mouth when Queen Titania slowly raised from where she had been inspecting the young woman and nodded at her husband. "She will be fine... she just needs some rest," Titania announced, her voice even and clear. 

"We should bring her back to her doctors," Xanatos said as he gently pressed his fingers against her throat, quickly picking up a faint but steady pulse. 

"Nonsense," Titania quickly interrupted as she turned to regard them with calm eyes. "She shall be taken to a room in the castle to rest, and when she is feeling better, we shall continue with these proceedings," she stated with a note of finality as she gently lifted a frightened Hope into her arms. 

"But..." 

"Honestly, David," Titania interrupted, the tiniest bit of annoyance in her soothing voice. "I was married to Halcyon Renard for how long? And the title of 'Doctor' before Anastasia Renard was not merely for show -- I _do_ know what I am talking about!" 

Sighing, Xanatos understood what lay beneath the Queen's, his mother-in-law's words: they didn't really have a choice in the matter. Nodding, Xanatos gently lifted the unconscious mage into his arms, Angela standing silently beside him. "Just lead the way," he muttered, forcing his dark thoughts away as he slipped into his 'poker' face. 

Nodding, Titania turned back to her husband and seeing him deep in thought, quickly took control of things. "Coyote, Raven," she commanded as she eyed the two tricksters, Puck standing between them, his face unreadable. "I want you to take the Puck to my chambers and wait there with him until my arrival. Sisters Three," she continued, turning to Selene, Luna, and Phoebe as Raven and Coyote led Puck away, the latter with his head craned in Lisette's direction the entire way. "You shall show David and Angela to an empty chamber so that Lisette may rest," she commanded as she handed Hope to Angela. 

"And after, my Queen?" Selene asked as her sisters bowed their heads in obedience, silver and gold framing her to either side. 

Pausing, Titania quickly pondered how to best put her following words. "You shall not leave Lisette's side until you hear from me.... in case she needs anything." 

Smiling at her queen's command, Luna raised her head beside her sister. "We shall do..." 

"... as you command," Phoebe finished as the sisters three left the room as one, Xanatos, with Lisette in hand, and Angela following close behind. 

"And as for the rest of you," Queen Titania called out as she addressed the roomful of fey and four mortals, "you are all dismissed for the evening. Princess Katherine, we shall see you and the gargoyle clan tomorrow eve." With that done, she nodded once more and then turned back to her husband and lord. 

"And what of Puck and his defiance?" Oberon asked, his anger replaced by a calculating and detached air -- an even more chilling thought. 

"We shall deal with that matter later.. for now I am curious about this young mage," Titania admitted as Oberon slowly joined her and began walking with her toward her chambers. 

"Yes, she is of the intriguing sort, isn't she?" Oberon asked as his countenance darkened. "Did you realize, my love, that she blocked magic so powerful that only a handful of our children could boast the same?" 

"Yes, I did," Titania murmured as they stopped outside her chamber doors. "But you go on ahead... I shall come to you soon and then we can discuss all," she murmured as she reached up and kissed her husband softly. 

As she turned away Oberon gently reached out and caught her hand in his. "Would you like for me to accompany you?" he asked as he tenderly brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. 

Chuckling softly, Titania remarked to herself once again on how quickly her husband could change from a roaring beast to her loving Oberon. "No, my love... I will come to you when I am finished," Titania smiled as she slowly slipped into her chambers.... she had some answers to get. 

* * *

Castle Wyvern 

Sighing, Fox slowly wiped the tears from her eyes as she noted the time on the clock mounted on the waiting room wall. "Sunset," she murmured as she quickly composed herself, rearranging her sleeping son on her lap. She knew that she didn't have long before Goliath and the others were upon her.. and then she would have to break them the news that she didn't even quite understand. And then the clamor of heavy footsteps and loud voices could be heard from down the hall. Sighing, Fox realized that she was on as she slowly rose and faced the short corridor that led into the waiting room. 

A second later the clan poured into the room, all in attendance and wearing masks of worry, confusion, and grief. If possible, even Bronx seemed to share in it as he shuffled slowly in beside Hudson. "Goliath, wait!" Fox cried out as she stepped between the massive gargoyle and the infirmary door. 

Growling with impatience, wanting nothing more than to see his love and reassure himself that she would be alright, Goliath was about to push past the woman when he noticed her tear streaked face and red, puffy eyes -- she looked a mess. "What is it?" Goliath asked, barely restraining his impatience as his clan gathered around him. "They are still not in surgery, are they?" he asked, his voice growing thick with worry. 

"No, but there has been... some complications," Fox explained as she shifted Alex in her arms. 

"What complications? Are they alright?" Brooklyn quickly asked, his beak clenched tight. 

"And where's Angela and the others?" Broadway asked as he surveyed the empty waiting room. 

Sighing, Fox quickly lifted a slender hand and began massaging her forehead as she skipped over Brooklyn's question and moved onto Broadway's. "I don't know," she murmured, her face a mask of confusion. "We don't have any security cameras in the infirmary, just out here in the waiting room," Fox explained, her green eyes becoming distant. "The cameras out here showed Owen, Angela, and Hope entering the infirmary about seven hours ago... Angela left a half hour later, and then David entered about two hours later with Angela close behind and since then the only people going in and out have been the medical personnel and Alex and I." 

Confused, Goliath slowly shook his head. "Then the others are still in the..." 

"No," Fox quickly interrupted, knowing what the lavender gargoyle was going to say. "They're all gone." 

"Gone?" Broadway asked, his large blue face twisted in confusion. 

"Yes, David, Owen, Angela, Hope, and even Lisette all disappeared from the infirmary about four hours ago," Fox explained, worry and a little bit of fear mixing with her concern for her husband. 

"What do you mean they disappeared?!" Broadway growled, his eyes glowing brightly at one particular name on the list of those missing. 

"What else does disappeared mean?!" Fox snapped, strung out from the drag on her emotions. "They're missing, gone, vamoose and we have no idea what happened, how they left, or where they are!!" 

Sensing the growing tension, Goliath calmly placed one hand on his second's brick red shoulder. "What does Elisa think happened?" he asked, thinking through the situation as logically as an illogical situation could warrant. 

"That's another thing," Fox muttered as she glowered at the linoleum floor. "We think that where they went, Elisa sent them magically," she explained, not bothering to look up. 

"An' why do ye think that, lass?" Hudson asked slowly as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"Many reasons: magic is the only logical explanation for their disappearance, Elisa was probably the only one able to move them all because of Owen's restrictions, Lisette's condition, and Hope's age," she said, counting the reasons off on her fingers as she balanced Alex in her arms. "But the main reason was that when the doctors left Elisa six hours ago she was awake, stable, and out of the woods. About four hours ago something drained on her so much that she was almost killed," Fox replied bluntly, almost sorry for her words as Goliath visibly paled. "Now she has slipped into a coma and can't tell us where my husband or the others have gone!" 

Wincing at her words, Broadway slowly looked around at the faces of his clan. "Uh... what's a coma?" he asked quietly. 

"She's sleeping and can't wait up," Lex explained as simply as he could as he began to uneasily hop from one foot to another. 

"I see," Goliath murmured slowly, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. 

As a tense silence fell over the room, Brooklyn slowly asked the question that he hated to ask. "Um... what... what was Lisette's condition before they disappeared?" 

Sighing, Fox briefly closed her eyes as hot tears swarmed up. "I ran into Angela before she went back to the infirmary for that last time..." she whispered, feeling her grief surround her once more. "She... she said that she had said goodbye to Lisette two hours ago and that... she was probably dead by then," Fox murmured as the wet tears poured down from her haunted eyes. 

"No.." Brooklyn whispered hoarsely, slowly shaking his head as he slowly backed away. 

"I'm sorry Brooklyn.. the doctors confirmed it... said they couldn't remove the bullet and it was draining on her..." Fox trailed off as Brooklyn paled, his eyes unnaturally wide as his head continued to shake in denial. 

"Angela and the doctors were wrong," Brooklyn stated weakly, backing away further as Goliath tried to put another calming hand on his shoulder. "She _has_ to be okay!!" he growled, his eyes burning with his determination. 

"I'm so sorry... they said that she was dying..." 

"_Nnnnnoooooooooo!!!_" Brooklyn suddenly roared as his head tipped back, his body tensed with grief as the roar of denial turned into an animal-like plea for mercy from the pain of her truth.. her truth. 

As the truth of her words tightened painfully around his chest until each breath was drawn in fiery agony, Brooklyn quickly turned and scampered from the room, dropping down onto all fours. Ignoring his clan's cries from behind him, their pleas for him to stop, Brooklyn tore through the building as Lisette's haunting blue eyes tormented his every move... her soft laughter that tinkled around him... her bright smile that was almost always evident... but most of all, it was her bright eyes that always sparkled with warmth that stayed with him as he dove off the first parapet he reached and soared into the dark night sky, his lonely cry lighting his way. 

* * *

Avalon 

As the three sisters swept off to the side of the room, Xanatos slowly stepped forward and gently placed Lisette on the hard bed. Turning, he took in the small chamber with a critical eye, noting that besides the bed and cold fireplace the room was bare.. almost like a jail cell -- whose cell still yet to be determined. 

"Is Lee-zette otay?" Hope asked quietly as she crawled out of Angela's arms and moved carefully beside her new friend. 

"I think so," Xanatos replied as he gently placed a hand on the young woman's forehead, his face unreadable. 

"It's cold in here," Angela murmured absently as she gently rubbed her bare arms, her beigish-skin prickling with goose bumps. Startled, the young woman then realized what she had just said. She had never before been cold in her life... gargoyles didn't get cold... then again, she quickly decided that she didn't like it. 

Without saying a word, Luna quickly sparked a flame in the fireplace beside them with a small thrust of her magic. A moment later a large fire was roaring in the hearth, fueled by magic, and quickly heating the small room. 

For some reason, their act of 'kindness' only furthered to fuel Xanatos' growing anxiety. Something was amiss on Avalon and, thinking back to Puck's earlier pleas, he would bet anything that it revolved around Lisette. "Angela, stay here with Hope and Lisette," he murmured as Goliath's daughter slowly sat on the large bed beside her friend. 

"Why? Where are you going?" Angela asked as Hope crawled into her lap, concern marring her lovely features. 

"To talk to Puck and find out exactly what's going on," Xanatos muttered as he slipped from the room. Ever since Owen had showed up at the nursery door with Goliath, Talika, and Hope in tow, his carefully constructed and meticulously manipulated world had been thrown helter skelter. From then on he had been on the defensive and trying to react to each new development that was thrown his way. 

Well, not any longer. 

* * *

Titania's chambers 

Turning the handle, Titania slipped quietly into the sitting room of her bed chambers, a mass of swirling satin and veils. Smiling, she nodded at Coyote and Raven, indicating their dismissal before turning her soft eyes onto her favorite trickster. "Puck," she acknowledged as the little fairie's chain bindings disappeared in a flash of light. 

Rubbing his bruised arms lightly, Puck nodded his thanks at his queen, quickly realizing that his magic remained restricted. "What, dontcha trust me?" he asked, trying his best innocent grin on the queen. 

"After your vehement and pathetic pleas for my son-in-law to remove young Lisette from my isle?" Titania scoffed, her voice gentle and calm. 

"Well, I prefer to think of them as endearing," Puck grinned as he plopped onto one of the many plush settees that littered the large room. 

Waving his comment away, Titania slowly began to pace before him, her expression thoughtful. "I wonder about you Puck... about your reasons for wanting her to leave..." 

"And I wonder about your questions and about your reasons for wanting her to stay," Puck retorted as he crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest. 

Surprised, Titania stopped and stared deep into the little fey's eyes. "You really care for this girl, don't you?" she asked, surprise registering on her face. 

"Don't let her hear you calling her a girl," Puck muttered as he shifted on the couch. "She's very proud of the fact that she's almost twenty." 

Amazed at the evident scowl on Puck's face, Titania slowly shook her head. "You really care for her.. why?" she asked in curiosity. 

"She's my student, of course I care for her," Puck muttered as his eyes roved the room, looking at every and anything but his queen's probing eyes. Instantly Puck regretted his words as he mentally kicked himself. He didn't like Titania's structured questions and her curiosity for his student -- in the end it would only lead to trouble. 

"So you have been giving Lisette lessons while teaching Alexander?" Titania asked quickly, pouncing on the small bit of information that she had been given. "I imagine that the lessons must have been holding her back seeing as how she was being taught stuff for beginners, right?" 

At her questions, Puck kicked himself even harder as he clammed up once again, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest. 

Noting this, Titania sighed in annoyed disbelief as she gracefully settled on the settee beside him. "Puck, why do you fear my questions so?" she asked, her voice light and beguiling as she gently placed her hand on the shoulder of his brightly colored tunic. 

"The birth of Alexander Xanatos -- need I say anymore?" Puck retorted as he stood up and away from her touch and sulked in the corner. 

"I helped manipulate events in my daughter and grandson's favor," Titania quickly stated in her defense as she rose once again. 

"Perhaps," Puck muttered in reply, not giving his favored queen any slack when it came to his students. 

Sighing, Titania started for the door. "It saddens me, Puck, to know that my words fall on deaf ears, yet I shall leave you with this solemn promise: Lisette shall not be held on Avalon against her will," she murmured before slipping from the room. 

Once out in the hallway she then placed an enchantment on the door, allowing anyone to enter and exit as they pleased, save Puck who remained trapped within. Smiling that smile that could only be described as enigmatic, she then turned and walked slowly down the darkened hallway. She had learned what she had set out to discover from Puck -- his stake in the young woman's affairs. Now she only had to learn the rest of the story. 

* * *

As Xanatos rounded the hallway, his quick eyes latched onto a flare of green that emanated from a shadowed finger. Turning, he quickly hugged the wall as the hidden figure sashayed out of darkness and into a brief pool of candlelight, revealing a lithe greenish form that dipped into an impossibly small waist and then out into Queen Titania's curvaceous hips, her hair a cascade of green silk. 

"She's your mother-in-law!" he quickly reminded himself, stopping his appreciative and roaming eyes with his disgusted words. Shaking his head he quickly darted forward, sticking to the shadows until he was standing in front of the door she had just exited. Sighing, he debated his options. He needed to find Puck and he was willing to bet that Titania had been visiting with him... then again, Oberon could be the one waiting behind the double doors and not the little trickster. 

Shrugging his shoulders carelessly, Xanatos quickly threw open one of the doors and strode into the brightly lit room. Instantly he was ambushed from the side and crushed to the thinly carpeted stone floor. 

"David, buddy ole pal!" Puck cried out in delight as he slowly jumped off his friend and gallantly extended a helping hand. 

Groaning, Xanatos glared at the trickster as he ignored his hand and pulled himself up. Turning, he quickly closed the door before inspecting the little fey closely. "Okay Puck, tell me what's going on," Xanatos ordered, his face an unreadable mask. 

"Whatcha mean? What, no hello? How are you doing, Puck? Glad you're not fried bacon?" Puck asked innocently as he began to tinker around the room, absently inspecting the different artifacts and nick-knack's that were lying on shelves and in cases, most of the magical. 

Frowning, Xanatos watched the charade for a few moments before his patience finally ran thin. "Why do you want Lisette away from Avalon so badly and why is my mother-in-law asking so many questions about her?" 

Smiling slightly, Puck was immediately pleased that the mortal had been as uneased by his queen's questions. Still, he wasn't quite ready to discuss all of that.. first he had his own question to see to. "Tell me Xanatos, why in the world would a bright mortal like you bring someone as weak as Lisette is traveling?! To Avalon no less?!?" he asked as he quickly turned away from an enchanted walking stick that leaned against the wall. 

Arching his eyebrow at the fae, Xanatos crossed his arms over his chest as a small smile brightened his face. "Because she threatened to find her own way to Avalon to save you if we didn't take her along. We decided that she would be the safest with us." 

"Well... why couldn't you just... keep her drugged up or something? Lock her in iron chains?!" Puck asked quickly, his eyes glittering madly. 

Laughing, Xanatos quickly shook his head. "Would you listen to yourself?" he cried out as Puck's pale face flushed in embarrassment. "Of course we weren't going to keep her drugged or locked up! What's wrong with you?!" 

"She isn't safe here," Puck mumbled as his eyes became downcast, suddenly finding the pattern on the ancient Persian rug _very_ interesting. 

"Why?" Xanatos pressed, his interest instantly piqued. 

"The less they know about her the better," Puck grumbled, his earlier exuberance having disappeared with the change in topic. "They're already curious about her and capturing the interest of the King and Queen of Avalon is a dangerous thing for a mortal to do." 

"How so?" 

Sighing, Puck briefly closed his eyes before focusing on the richest man in the mortal world. "Because they like to keep special people near them for amusement and to satisfy their curiosity -- special people like your son and Lisette," he said, watching as the man visibly paled. "Heck, I bet that if Talika would let them get away with it then they'd have Hope by their side as well." 

"I see..." Xanatos slowly trailed off as a whole new sense of urgency consumed him. "Then what do we do? Titania has the Weird Sisters standing guard over her..." 

"We try to keep Lisette's past hidden and keep what they do find out as boring as possible," Puck interrupted with a grim smile. 

Sighing, Xanatos quickly shook his head. "Then we really have our work cut out for us." 

* * *

Lisette's chamber 

Sighing softly, Lisette sleepily blinked her eyes and focused on her surroundings. "Qu'est-ce que c'est..." she murmured as she saw an unfamiliar room with three strange women, looking identical save for their hair color, standing against the far wall. 

"You talkin' funny again," Hope quickly replied, surprising the young woman as she left Angela's side and gently hugged her friend. "But I'm glad you're awake," she mumbled as she gently kissed Lee-zette's pale cheek. 

"Thank you, Hope," Lisette replied as she slowly and painfully scooted back until her back rested against the bed's wooden backrest. 

"Queen Titania insisted that you rest here on Avalon until you were well enough to continue matters concerning Puck," Angela explained, answering her friend's earlier question. 

At Angela's words, Lisette felt a flush warm her pale cheeks as she remembered the earlier events. "Zut," she murmured as her expressive eyes filled with worry. "Are Lord Oberon and Queen Titania very angry with me?" 

"Not at all, child," Queen Titania responded as she slipped into the small chamber. "Just curious, is all," she continued with a small smile as she nodded at the Sisters Three, indicating their dismissal. 

As the robed women slowly filed from the room, Lisette eyed the strangers curiously. "Who are they?" she asked, her voice growing stronger by the moment. 

"They are the Weird..." 

"The Sisters Three," Titania interrupted, knowing how much the three detested the nickname that Puck himself had bestowed upon them long ago. "The raven haired sister is Selene, the blond Phoebe, and Luna with the white," she explained as she gently sat on the bed a respectable distance from the young mage. 

"Ah oui, Craigen once told me stories of them," Lisette replied with a small smile. 

"And who is Craigen? A friend?" Titania asked innocently as Hope crawled into her lap, falling asleep, warm and safe, almost instantly. 

"Oh no... Craigen... was my teacher and a surrogate father of sorts..." Lisette trailed off as a faraway look entered her eyes. "But he died many years ago." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"You don't have to talk of such painful memories," Angela quickly interrupted as she gently squeezed Lisette's hand, both girls missing Titania's look of annoyance. 

"Merci, mon amie," Lisette replied with a small smile, "but remembering the past is good for me." 

"Oh, Angela dear," Titania broke in with a false smile, "before I forget, didn't you want to spend some time with your clan while you're here?" 

Surprised by the sudden topic change, it took a moment for the young gargess-turned-human to digest the queen's question. "Well... yes, of course," she replied hesitantly. 

"Well, your time here is limited. Why don't you go visit with them now?" Titania suggested with a kind smile. 

"But I don't want to leave..." 

Smiling, Lisette laughed lightly at her friend's obvious concern. "Do not be silly, mon amie! You have no reason to worry. I shall be fine here.. go see your clan!" she urged as she shoved her friend away, knowing how much she missed her clan. 

"Are you sure?" Angela asked, uncertain as her loyalty demanded her to stay beside her weak friend while her heart demanded to see her clan. 

"Positive. Go have fun!" Lisette laughed as her friend smiled and then slipped from the room. 

Touched by the young woman's kindness, Titania favored her with yet another bright smile. "Now, child tell me _all_about yourself..." 

* * *

Manhattan 

Closing his eyes as a single tear trailed down, Brooklyn allowed the warm wind currents to carry him as they pleased, the city of Manhattan twinkling merrily below. It had been a week since Hope had appeared; a week since Caleb had threatened the clan; a week since the mysterious being shot Elisa and her daughter; a week since Lisette, Angela, Xanatos, Owen, and Hope had disappeared; a week since Elisa had fallen into her silent coma; and one week since Lisette had died... since his world had fallen apart. 

During that week everything was beginning to disintegrate: Fox was beginning to have difficulties covering for her husband and Owen, the president and vice-president of Xanatos Enterprises; Matt was having similar troubles holding off Captain Chavez and stalling their investigation to see where Elisa was being held and what her condition was; Broadway was worried sick about Angela to the point that he had stopped eating altogether; Goliath spent his nights at Elisa's bedside, undeterred by the doctor's words saying that she may _never_ awake; and he.. he was just a mess, plain and simple. 

Patrol was forgotten as he spent his nights gliding aimlessly over the city, their castle, as he tried to find solace in the darkness. While Lisette had only been with the clan for a little less than a year, he felt that it was a true love that they shared from the word go. Now he was finding life without her almost too much to bear.. perhaps it was too much for his young shoulders to bear the tremendous weight of. How did one continue without the one that they loved? 

Roaring quietly in a way that bespoke anguish of the heart, Brooklyn looked down at the city as hot tears burned his eyes. _As she slowly regained consciousness, Brooklyn was immediately struck speechless by her beautiful blue eyes.. eyes that seemed to stare deep down into his soul. In that moment, he knew that never before had he seen eyes like this strange woman's before. "New Beginnings"_

Closing his eyes, he clenched his teeth, pursing his beak against the pain. _Before Brooklyn could say another word, Lisette quickly turned the book a couple of pages further, familiar with the work. "Personally, I prefer this one," she whispered quietly. "'A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous,'" she whispered before turning slowly and meeting Brooklyn's fiery gaze. Smiling, both slowly leaned towards each other until her lips met his beak -- together sharing their first kiss. "New Beginnings"_

Moaning quietly, Brooklyn winced as his heart constricted painfully in his chest. _"Lisette," Brooklyn gasped out as he located the body that accompanied the soft timber of the stranger's voice. There was his worst nightmare come true.. his first real love in the grasp of a strange lunatic, blood dripping down her face, with a knife pressed against her throat. Then again, wasn't that everyone's worst nightmare come true? "New Beginnings"_

Hissing his breath in between his teeth, the soft whistle joined the moaning night. _Shrugging his shoulders, Brooklyn slowly lifted the flute to his lips once again and began to blow. Instantly, instead of the music that should have come, the same haunting words issued forth from the white flute. Gasping, Brooklyn drew the flute away again. "Lisette?" he asked in confusion. "Where are you?" Suddenly, tears stung at his eyes as her whispered words registered in his mind. "No," he whispered quietly. "No..." "La Rose D'Or"_

Surprised by the quiet noise he quickly wrapped his brick red arms tightly around himself. _Hesitant, Brooklyn waited for Elisa's nod before slowly approaching the devastated woman. When before her, he slowly got to his knees, wary of his touch sending her away, and whispered quietly, "I love you..." Before he even had a chance to finish, Lisette was away from the wall and in his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck. Surprised, he knelt in shock for a brief moment before wrapping his own strong arms around her slim waist. Idly, he heard Goliath and Elisa shepherd everyone from the room as he gently cradled the crying mage into his arms and carried her over to her bed. Moving slowly, he then leaned against her array of fluffed pillows and arranged Lisette so that she was snuggled up against his side, her head lying on his chest as her arms were wrapped tightly around him and his around her. "Dreams"_

Drawing his arms away, he quickly extended his wings and reached out towards the dark night, the wind feeling so fragile and tremulous. _Shuddering at the remembrance of so much blood, Brooklyn held Lisette closer. She seemed so small and delicate as her thin frame shook like a leaf in his embrace. She felt so different from before -- so weak that his protective instinct kicked in full force. He wanted to shield her from the world and keep the hurt from her past, the present, and any that lay hidden in the future far, far away. "Shh, Lisette, I'm here mon amour," he whispered gently against her ear as she hid her face from the world in his chest, her arms at her side as he gently brushed his mouth against her soft, golden hair, his arms holding her tight. "Hope"_

"Mon amour," he whispered hoarsely, his voice thick with raw emotion. "Why did you leave... _why did you go?!?_" he roared as the soft and gentle wind quickly carried away his question to the heavens with soft hands, echoing it over the city for all to share in the lone gargoyle's anguish.. all alone. 

* * *

Avalon -- Oberon's chambers 

"And where have you been for the last five hours? Oberon has been waiting," Oberon asked with a small frown as his wife slipped into his chambers. 

"Visiting with young Lisette and learning quite a great deal about her," Titania responded with a sly smile as Oberon rose to kiss her gently. 

"How intriguing," Oberon murmured, his eyes roving lovingly over her beautiful face. 

"Quite, actually," Titania responded as she slipped from his arms and danced away, her eyes twinkling mischievously. 

"And what about Puck?" Oberon asked, getting back to the subject that most concerned him. 

"Forget Puck... your wounded pride is nothing compared to this enigma, my love," she cried, softening her words with a kiss. 

Intrigued, Oberon arched his eyebrow at his wife as he reclined back into a chair, watching as she restlessly paced the floor. "Enigma?" he asked, his curiosity finally peaked. "This human is an enigma to you?" 

"Halfling," she quickly corrected, her face a mask of concentration. "She puzzles me because I can sense Elisa Maza in her..." 

"Talika?" Oberon asked in surprise. 

"No, the human Elisa Maza... yet I do not..." 

"What? We do not understand!" Oberon laughed, his mirth lost on his queen. 

"I can sense Elisa Maza in her yet I cannot... like I can sense Avalon fueling her magic, yet the isle doesn't..." 

"She is an enigma," Oberon murmured thoughtfully as he pondered his wife's confused words. "And you want her to stay on Avalon?" he guessed, easily reading his wife's motives, just like before with her grandson. 

"Yes, my husband, but there is a problem," she admitted. 

"Besides Oberon's decree against interfering in human affairs?" 

"She is a halfling, my love, and because of her magical prowess as demonstrated, arguably more fey than human," she stated as Oberon nodded at her to continue. "I gave Puck my word that his student would not be held against her will..." 

"Your exact wording?" Oberon cut in, mischief shining in his hard eyes. 

"Close enough," Titania nodded, a small smile curving her lips. 

"Then there are ways to get around it. Come, time to gather the children and end this affair," Oberon declared as he rose and held out his hand to his wife. There was work and much manipulation to be done. 

* * *

Twenty minutes later 

"Trickster Puck," Oberon bellowed as the Great Hall fell silent. Once more Oberon's children filled the large room while Puck stood before the Lord and Queen, no longer bound but his magic restricted as his mortal friends stood behind him, Hope finally giving into exhaustion and sleeping in Angela's arms while Lisette, being too weak to stand, rested in the arms of David Xanatos. "For the crime of betrayal we punish you to the fullest extent -- death!" Oberon ordered as his eyes glowed with magical fury. 

"What? No!!" Lisette cried out, her voice mingling with dozens of others, none truly wanting to see the death of the fey, no matter how irritating he could be. 

"But he didn't even get a trial!" Angela protested, unable to believe the unfairness of Oberon's words. 

"Oberon is the Lord of Avalon, the only judge and jury that the third race needs," Oberon proclaimed, his eyes dark and flashing. 

"Apparently not," Xanatos murmured as Lisette turned her pleading blue eyes to him. 

"S'il vous plaît," she murmured, "we must do something..." 

"Don't worry, Titania won't let him..." he trailed off as he noticed that the queen was sadly nodding in agreement. "Or maybe she will," he muttered thoughtfully. He knew that the Queen had sat with Lisette for awhile before he had returned, but even with his arrival her questions never slowed with Lisette innocently answering each one as honestly as a child. To make matters worse, every attempt of his to change the subject, lie, tone down the bizarreness of the tales, or get her to leave were promptly shot down or ignored completely. In the end, the woman knew everything from her past, her magical capabilities, to her relationship with Fox, her relationship with Talika, to her love of Brooklyn and even to her dietary habits! The only thing the mage didn't reveal were the personal details that she shared with very few, let alone he and a stranger, even if she was the queen of Avalon. "This doesn't make sense... something's wrong," Xanatos muttered as he tightened his grip on Lisette and slowly began backing away, almost as if he was afraid that someone would try stealing the young woman right from his very arms. 

Meanwhile, Xanatos watched as Oberon made a show, a very convincing one, of preparing to execute Puck as the room filled with shocked and confused voices. No one could believe that Titania would sit back and allow it to happen. After all, it was no secret that she cared a great deal for the trickster -- why she would stand by now and watch his destruction was a mystery. And while the rest of the room was in an uproar, Puck wore a look of boredom as he rolled his eyes at Oberon's antics. 

"Oh, get on with it," he muttered as he shifted his weight to his other foot, putting on a look of nonchalance even as Oberon drew back for the fatal strike, the powerful magic so tangible that one could taste it. 

"No," Lisette whispered as she struggled vainly in Xanatos's arms. All she knew was that her teacher was about to be destroyed and she was once again powerless to stop it......... 

* * *

_ "The world is no longer safe for you my child... the people of Gaul believe you to be a witch.. not even the people that you saved at the château would come and help me to save you... you're no longer safe here, and until the world is once more safe, you must sleep," Craigen said quietly with a sad smile._

_ "Craigen, I..." Lisette started, the tears pooling in her eyes as she no longer found the energy to lift her arms or head. ~He must have cast the spell before I entered~ Lisette thought as her eyes remained fixated on Craigen's kind old face._

_ "There are about ten coins in the pot by the wall, and we're sealed in, so you'll have to use your magic to get you out once you awaken..."_

_ "No," Lisette whispered as a tear drifted down her cheek._

_ "Lisette... be careful and always remember that I have always loved you as my daughter..."_

_ "Please don't leave me Craigen..." Lisette whispered one last time as darkness stole over her vision and Craigen's face disappeared from view._

_ "I... love you," Craigen gasped as the spell took hold and Lisette fell into a timeless sleep. At the same time, Craigen felt his heartbeat slow as he fell to the cold stone floor. He had used all of his magic and energy to cast the sleep spell, and now was left with nothing. His dying thoughts were of his adopted daughter, Lisette, for whom he died to save._

* * *

"Oh Craigen, aidez-moi... help me," Lisette murmured as her eyes became misted. "I will not lose anyone close to me ever again... s'il vous plaît, aidez-moi and give me the strength..." she murmured as she pulled and drew upon the magic that was the very life force of Avalon. And then, in a flash of light Xanatos's arms were empty and she was sitting weakly before Puck, her legs draped in burgundy to the side as her shaky hands supported her weight, the heavy black cloak contrasting sharply with her pale blond hair. "Arrête! S'il vous plaît.... I beg of you to stop this madness!" Lisette pleaded, her bright eyes filled with unshed tears. 

"Lisette, you can't..." Puck started urgently when a gold plate magically appeared over his mouth, instantly cutting off his words as he was lifted into the air before her. 

"Please, stop this!" Lisette begged once again as Xanatos and Angela rushed to her side, her eyes on her teacher's frantic thrashing above her. "I know that you are angry with Puck, but there must be another way!" 

Seeing the opening that she had been waiting for, Queen Titania quickly placed a hand on Oberon's shoulder, stilling his movements as she turned her bright eyes on the weak young woman. Feeling slightly guilty, Titania saw the genuine fear for Puck in her expressive blue eyes and realized once again that this mage had never before experienced the caliber of manipulation that she was now undergoing -- she had no idea. Then again, she needed to remind herself that such innocence was the only thing that would get her what she wanted. "What do you mean, child?" she prompted, her question perfectly poised. 

Sensing the trap that was about to be sprung upon the unsuspecting girl, Xanatos quickly stood up and glared at his mother-in-law. "Lisette, do..." was as far as he got before Oberon encased him in a prison of ice... a very familiar prison. 

"What are you doing?" Lisette quickly asked as she turned her wide, frightened eyes away from the statue of her friend and back towards the royalty of Avalon. Everything was happening too quickly for her brain to process it and her strong will was being crushed under her growing confusion. Her senses were screaming at her that there was something very wrong, but she couldn't figure out what besides the obvious. 

Ignoring her question, Titania gently beckoned to the young woman. "I asked what you meant by your earlier statement," she repeated, her smile gentle. 

Confused, Lisette slowly looked at Angela, her friend seeming to mirror her feelings. "There.. there must be another way... something else that would appease your anger besides Puck's death," Lisette suggested as she turned and looked back and forth between Oberon and Titania. 

"And you would be willing to help in this matter?" Titania continued, her voice light as she watched the young woman struggle to hold her own weight. 

"Well... of course! I will do anything to help," Lisette quickly replied, obviously puzzled by the queen's question even as her unease grew. 

"I see," Titania replied as her smile grew. Those were just the words that she wanted to hear. Standing up she quickly eyed her faerie kin and addressed the murmuring crowd. "The Trickster Puck shall be spared his life and released back to the mortal world," she announced before turning and staring into the young woman's bright blue eyes, "provided that the halfling Lisette remains on Avalon in his stead." 

"What?" Lisette cried out in surprise as she felt Angela kneel beside her, a hand resting gently on her shoulder. She felt so used... like she had been cornered into this spot.. so... 

"Tricked," Angela murmured as her friend weakly turned her tired blue eyes towards her. "Queen Titania is a master of manipulation and she has just manipulated you into getting what she wants." 

"Me?" Lisette asked meekly. 

"Yes... and you're going to stay, aren't you?" Angela whispered as she held Hope tightly in her arms. 

"Do I really have a choice?" Lisette murmured back as she turned back and saw that Titania was waiting patiently for a response. "Release Puck and I shall remain in his place," she responded as Xanatos became real once more and as Puck was slowly lowered beside her. 

"Then it is done," Oberon proclaimed as he magically lifted the plate from Puck's mouth and changed him back into Owen Burnett. "Prepare yourself to depart from my isle..." 

"Wait, Lord Oberon," Owen quickly protested as he knelt before his lord, biting back his angry retort. If Owen Burnett was one thing, it wasn't stupid. He knew when he had been bested.. for the moment. "If you would give me a moment to say goodbye to my student," he asked, waiting for his request to be accepted or denied. 

Suitably impressed with the man's actions, Oberon slowly nodded his head. "Perhaps the Puck should take notes from the part that he plays," he laughed as he indicated for the wooden man to proceed. 

"Perhaps," Owen replied dryly as he bypassed Xanatos and Angela until he was crouched before Lisette. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly as he gently took her chin in his hand and stared into her large blue eyes. 

Shaking off her shock, Lisette smiled softly. "Better than before, thanks to you, mon professeur," Lisette murmured as Owen gently reached forward and lifted her into his arms. 

"I apologize for getting you involved in this.. you never should have come to Avalon," Owen whispered woodenly as Lisette weakly lifted a slender hand and placed it gently on his cheek. 

"If you had not then I would be dead..." Lisette trailed off as Oberon cleared his throat from behind them. 

"Oberon has decided that it is time for you to depart. Eight days have passed during the eight hours that you have rested on my isle -- long enough," he declared as Titania rested a gentle hand on his arm. 

"Coyote, step forward and relieve Mr. Burnett of his burden," she commanded as Owen leaned close, his lips brushing with Lisette's ear. 

"We shall return shortly with Talika to bring you home. She will not stand for this," he whispered as Coyote gently took her from his arms. Sighing, he then moved till he was standing beside his fellow trespassers of sorts. "Mr. Xanatos, Miss Angela," he acknowledged quietly without turning to face either. 

"Owen, good to have you back," Xanatos replied with a grim smile as he continued to stare straight ahead, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. 

"Angela, please tell everyone that they will be in my thoughts," Lisette murmured, forcing her voice to be strong. She would not allow them to see how much this hurt her.. besides, within a few minutes to a few hours they would be back with Elisa to take her home. "And... tell Brooklyn that I love him..." 

"I will," Angela promised, holding the sleeping child even tighter in her arms as Coyote slowly backed away. 

"Do not fear. Lisette shall be in good hands -- the hands of her kin," Titania called out as the mortals were encased in a shroud of green. 

_These are my kin?_ Lisette couldn't help asking herself as she surveyed the odd group that filled the room. "Oh là là," she groaned as her friends disappeared in a flash of bright light. "Please, hurry back..."

**THE END**


	15. Deceptions

**"Deceptions"**  
by Lisette: Lisette_1@lycos.com 

Created on: 03/21/01

Revised on: 11/27/01

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation. Goliath and his crew belong to Buena Vista and Disney. The characters of Talika, Lisette, and Caleb on the other hand, are of the author's creation and should not be used without her express permission. In addition, the words taken from the song, "Standing at the Edge of the Earth," belong to Blessid Union of Souls and no infringement on their copyrights has been intended. In no way will a profit be made from this. 

Author's Note: This story is the eleventh part of the Talika series and a reminder that Avalonian time runs 24 times slower than in the Real World. 

Brief summary: Will Elisa ever awaken? Will the clan ever be reunited? Maybe.. but things can only get more complicated. 

**Rating: PG-13** due to language and content 

* * *

Previously in "Saving Trickster Puck"... 

"Owen turned into Puck and, in the process, went against Oberon _again_," Elisa explained, wincing as she thought of the trouble that the small trickster must be in. 

"What do we do?" Angela asked slowly, remembering all too well the anger that she had glimpsed during the two times that she had encountered the lord of the third race. 

"Well why don't we just go to Av'lon an' get Puck from Unca Obe'ron an' Auntie Tie'tanie?" Hope asked as she raised her hands slightly and shrugged her little shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

* * * * * 

"We think that where they went, Elisa sent them magically," she explained, not bothering to look up. 

"An' why do ye think that, lass?" Hudson asked slowly as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"Many reasons: magic is the only logical explanation for their disappearances, Elisa was probably the only one able to move them all because of Owen's restrictions, Lisette's condition, and Hope's age," she said, counting the reasons off on her fingers as she balanced Alex in her arms. "But the main reason was that when the doctors left Elisa six hours ago she was awake, stable, and out of the woods. About four hours ago something drained on her so much that she was almost killed," Fox replied bluntly, almost sorry for her words as Goliath visibly paled. "Now she's slipped into a coma and can't tell us where my husband or the others have gone!"

* * * * * 

"The Trickster Puck shall be spared his life and released back to the mortal world," Titania announced before turning and staring into the young woman's bright blue eyes, "provided that the halfling Lisette remains on Avalon in his stead."... 

"Release Puck and I shall remain in his place," Lisette responded.

* * * * * 

_These are my kin?_ Lisette couldn't help asking herself as she surveyed the odd group that filled the room. "Oh là là," she groaned as her friends disappeared in a flash of bright light. "Please, hurry back..." 

* * *

**_Deceptions_**

Avalon -- Throne Room 

As the mortals disappeared in a flash of bright light, Queen Titania nodded her head curtly in satisfaction. Quickly, as the murmuring of her fae kin grew into a dull roar she turned to her beloved husband and grasped his arm tightly. "My husband, I quickly ask a favor of you -- and time is of the essence..." 

* * *

Castle Wyvern -- ramparts 

As the bright flash of light slowly died away, Angela, Owen, and Xanatos slowly stood apart and admired the bright moon that shone down upon them from the highest tower of Wyvern. "We're back," Angela murmured needlessly as she pulled Hope closer into her arms, shielding the small child from the warm breeze that ruffled her long, brown braid. 

"And we must hurry," Owen added as he turned abruptly on his heel and started down the steep tower stairs. "The less time that Lisette spends on Avalon with the Lord and Lady, the better," he muttered as Xanatos and Angela quickly followed behind. "We must find the Detective." 

* * *

Aerie Building -- Infirmary 

Sighing, Goliath slowly reached forward and lovingly brushed an errant strand of raven hair from Elisa's pale face. She looked so beautiful -- like an angel deep asleep. In a way, Goliath was happy for her that she was finally able to gain the rest that she so obviously deserved, but at the same time he wanted nothing more for his love to awaken and fill his arms once again. It had been over a week now since the fateful night.. the night that had all but torn apart the clan and left the nights cold and bleak. All in one night Elisa's long-dead daughter had been revived and reunited with her mother, Caleb had returned, Elisa and Hope had both been shot with dark matter, Lisette had taken Hope's injuries from her and saved the child, and now.. Lisette had died that night, Elisa had fallen into a coma, and Xanatos, Owen, Hope, and his Angela were missing. All that remained were questions, questions that only Elisa herself could answer, and questions that would remain unanswered until his love awakened once again... if she ever reawakened. 

Shaking his head quickly, Goliath banished the thought to the furthest regions of his mind as he turned his dark eyes to his love once again. He wouldn't let himself think that there was no longer any hope.. he couldn't. For if he did, soon he would be in much the same state of despair that he knew his second in command drowned within. Ever since he had heard the news, Goliath had barely allowed himself to leave Elisa's bedside -- he hadn't been able to. But even from there he had heard the worried words of his mentor and of Brooklyn's rookery brothers. All was not well for the young gargoyle. To be honest, Goliath couldn't blame him. Even though it had been just recently that he had finally gotten to know the young mage, he too had been charmed by her sweet innocence... an innocence that was now forever lost to the world. 

Wincing, Goliath quickly shook his head, not allowing himself to think of that loss as well. Turning, he watched as Elisa's chest slowly raised and then fell, a silent sign of the life that still beat strongly within her. At times, he was so frustrated by her never ending sleep. All he wanted to do was take her small shoulders in his hands and throttle her until her eyelids snapped open, revealing her deep brown eyes to all the world. He wanted to see the sun shine through her smile once again and taste the sweet raindrops on her petal-soft lips.. her lips that were now so silent to the world. But that was not to be and it seemed at times that she would never awaken from her peaceful slumber. 

Suddenly the door burst open behind him, sending Goliath to his feet in a lumbering and frightening pose, ready to fend off whatever dared to intrude upon Elisa's solace... and stopped dead in his tracks as Angela burst into the room, Hope in hand as Xanatos and Owen trailed after. "Angela?" he whispered hoarsely, barely able to believe that his child stood before him -- as a human, no less. 

Instantly, he knew that he was seeing no mirage as the young woman smiled brightly, gently placing the small child on her feet before stepping forward quickly and wrapping her thin arms around Goliath's neck. "Oh Father, I'm so sorry for being away for so long," Angela murmured, instantly fearful at the desolate and bleak feeling that emanated from his dark eyes. 

"Where have you been?" he asked roughly, squeezing her gently, ever mindful of her weaker human form. 

"Didn't Elisa tell..." she trailed off in confusion as a small whimper sounded from behind her. Turning quickly, Angela pulled out of her father's warm embrace and watched as tears clouded Hope's bright blue eyes. 

"Why is Mommy still in bed?" she whimpered quietly as she pointed past G'liath. "You said that she'd be all better!" she accused, tears now dripping down her little face. 

Confused, the young woman turned quickly and watched in confusion as Owen left Xanatos' side and strode quickly towards the familiar hospital bed. "Elisa?" she murmured, finally noticing what had caught the little girl's attention. 

"What happened?" Owen asked tightly, his eyes scanning over the detective's pale features as he felt Xanatos fall into step behind him. Instead of being up and about as he had figured that the detective would be by now, Detective Maza was once again sprawled in the same hospital bed, pale sheets pulled up against her chin as her dark black hair pooled around her pale face. This time, there were no machines that crowded around her bed besides a simple heart monitor that beeped away and proved to all that she was still alive and kicking.. somewhat. 

"We were hoping that you could tell us," Goliath answered, his voice turning momentarily gruff as his dark eyes narrowed at the man. Instantly though, he softened his words as he heard Hope's quiet tears. Turning, he gently lifted the small child into his arms, amazed at how light and delicate she felt. With a nod at Angela, he resumed his vigil beside Elisa's bedside and met the manservant's direct gaze. "When we awoke the following evening Fox informed us that after being stabilized, Elisa had almost.. died," he whispered, his gaze momentarily becoming distant before he once again focused on the quiet man. "They were able to save her and since then she has slipped into a coma... Fox also mentioned that you four were missing and that..." he trailed off, not wanting to add the last part. Ever since the group had walked into the room, the one person who was missing was painfully obvious and saying it aloud made it all too real. 

"She's in a coma?!" Xanatos interrupted, his usual calm facade broken in a brief moment as a deep frown covered his face. "Well do we know how long it could last?" he asked quickly, wracking his brain for all the knowledge that he had of coma patients, unhappily realizing that he didn't know very much. 

"Possibly forever," Goliath murmured, finally saying aloud what the doctors and everyone else had been trying to tell him for the past week. 

"Mommy," Hope sobbed, hearing G'liath's words. Even if she didn't really understand what a coma was or what forever meant, she knew enough to know that it was a very, very bad thing. "_Mommy!!!_" she screamed as she suddenly leaned forward out of G'liath's arms, reaching for her sleeping mommy. Why wouldn't she wake up? Why wouldn't she take her in her arms and make it all better? 

"But she **can't** be in a coma!" Angela protested, her eyes filling with tears. "She has to go get Lisette!" she argued as she turned away, putting her slim hands to her ears as she tried to block out Hope's heartbreaking screams. 

"Get Lisette?" Goliath asked quickly as Xanatos took Hope from his arms, quietly taking the child from the room. "Angela, what are you talking about? Where is Lisette?" he asked quickly as he turned and placed a lavender hand firmly on each shoulder and forced the young woman to look into his eyes. 

As tears slowly filled Angela's eyes, the young gargess-turned-human turned away from the hospital bed and met her father's dark eyes. "On Avalon," she whispered, her heart breaking as she realized that she was letting her friend down... and then completely shattering as she finally understood her father's words. Elisa may not ever wake up. "Oh no," she whispered as she weakly dropped to her knees on the cold floor, her quiet sobs filling the small room. 

In shock at his daughter's words, Goliath could offer no comfort as he tried to digest what he had been told. "Lisette's on Avalon?" he asked in confusion, feeling the beginnings of a massive headache start to come on. "So she is still alive?" 

* * *

Sighing softly, Brooklyn watched as the bright lights of the cars moved below him. The night was so quiet, the dull roar and the honking of the cars a soft background to his thoughts... his thoughts of Her. Lisette... just the whispering of her name throughout his mind brought a fresh wave of grief pouring through his limbs... the pain was so sharp that each thought of her cut him deeply like a knife. Closing his eyes against the pain, Brooklyn felt his talons dig deeply into the stone ledge that he sat upon, the soft crunching of the pierced rock lost to his mind as he swayed with the strong wind. 

"Why?" he whispered softly, slightly surprised at the sound of his own voice. It was a question that he often asked himself, often wondering why it had to of been her. Of course, he knew that what had been done was unavoidable -- none of the clan could have idly sat by and watched as Elisa's little girl died when they knew they could have done something to save her. Plus, that was just the way his Lisette had been, willing to sacrifice every part of herself in a heartbeat if it meant helping another. That was one of the reasons why he had loved her so very much.. and now she was gone. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn slowly opened his eyes and surveyed the dark night. During his mindless wanderings of the last week Brooklyn had often found himself returning to this particular spot. It was a building that sat high above the city with the Hudson river spread out before him, glittering beneath the bright moon. He had never been here before this week, but somehow he knew that Lisette would have enjoyed it -- she would have enjoyed the quiet peace that the height afforded as the river sparkled below him. In a strange way, it brought him a sense of calming peace and helped to ease the storm and whirlwind of emotions that everywhere else brought -- especially the castle. Everywhere he turned, all he saw was Her. She was everywhere in that building -- the memories too strong. He just couldn't deal with that.. not now. 

It was beautiful tonight... the moon was bright and full as it shone down upon the bright city, the lights of the buildings and vehicles trying to compete, but in the end being of no comparison to the twinkling stars from up above. It was breathtaking, and he could see the moon shining in all of her glory through the reflection of her beauty off of the dark waters so far below. His Lisette had left him forever.. forever alone with his memories of her.. 

"Brooklyn!!" 

Surprised, Brooklyn jerked his head up, his white hair framing his desolate eyes as he caught sight of Lexington winging closer on a strong current of air. "Lexington?" he asked quietly as he helped his rookery brother find purchase on the narrow ledge beside him. Immediately a mild curiosity bit through him as he took in Lexington's bright and shining eyes. Something had happened. 

"They're back!" the young green gargoyle cried out excitedly as he grabbed his brother's arm. 

"What do you mean?" Brooklyn asked quickly, fear beginning to break through his haze of grief. "Is everyone alright? What happened?" he repeated quickly, unsure if he wanted the answer that he knew was coming. He wasn't stupid -- he knew of what his brother referred to. He knew who 'they' had to be.... and who it most likely didn't include. 

"Angela, Hope, Xanatos and Owen are back!" Lexington yelled over the cool night wind, a grin lighting his green face even as he cringed away from the look his brother's eye. Just by what he had said, he knew what question would be burning in Brooklyn's dark eyes. 

"Angela's back with the others?" Brooklyn asked thickly, feeling a wave of warmth flood him as he imagined Broadway's joy at finally having his love returned to him, even as a wave of despair filled his body once again. He didn't want to go back to the castle. Even though he had been assured over and over again that Lisette was dead, to return and hear their words confirmed by the others was almost too much to bear. 

The one thing that she had taught him, above all else, was that there was always hope -- by returning to the castle he was killing that precious gift that she had given him. But he also knew that the not knowing her fate was almost worse than dealing with the idea that she was indeed gone forever. Although it still struck him as unjust that she had lived through so much, survived for so long and lived through so many tragedies only to be killed by a bullet not meant for her, taking a death that was meant for another, he couldn't think of a more fitting way to go -- better this then something senseless or by the hate of an enemy -- she died doing the thing that she loved most: helping others. 

As if sensing Brooklyn's thoughts, Lexington quickly closed his hand tightly around his brother's arm. "Brooklyn, she's alive," Lexington whispered quickly, his voice hoarse with the remembrance of Angela's words and the knowledge that he'd finally be able to return Brooklyn to his usual proud state. 

"I know," Brooklyn whispered softly, his head dropping down to his chest as his hands tightened into fists, trying to fight back his tears and maintain his stoic-- "She's what?" he gasped, his rookery brother's soft words finally creeping into the fog that occupied his mind. 

"It's Lisette! She's alive!!" he laughed, his smile growing wider as the look of desolation was slowly replaced by an unbelievable and heartbreaking brightness of joy and hope. 

"But.. but how?" Brooklyn sputtered, beginning to sway on the ledge from the information as Lexington reached out a steadying hand. 

"Owen saved her by becoming Puck with Hope's help!" Lex laughed as he quickly jumped forward and hugged his brother tightly to him. "Brook, she's alive!!" 

As Lexington slowly pulled away, Brooklyn shook his head in amazement. "She's alive?" he whispered hoarsely as he felt his heart soar. He knew that she couldn't be dead.. he just knew it.. "She's alive!" he suddenly crowed, causing Lexington to stumble back in surprise. "Come on, let's go!" he cried out quickly as his wings snapped open, ready to take him back to his love. 

"Go, go where?" Lexington asked in confusion, laying a restraining hand on his brother's arm once again. 

"Back to the castle!" Brooklyn laughed, shaking his head quickly as he sobered. "I should have been there when she came back, come on!" 

"Wait, wait!" Lex protested as he pulled back on his rookery brother once again. "Brooklyn, she's not there!" 

"What?" he asked in confusion, puzzlement crossing features. "Well where is she? I thought you said that they were back." 

"They are, but Lisette is still on Avalon," Lex quickly explained, kicking himself for not telling his brother the whole story in the first place. 

"Avalon? What's she doing on Avalon?" 

Sighing, Lex slowly indicated the small ledge as he slowly settled himself onto the hard granite, waiting for his brother to do likewise. When both were finally settled, Lex leveled his bright eyes on his brother. "Owen got into a lot of trouble with Lord Oberon for saving Lisette and was taken back to Avalon," he explained, hating to do this to his brother. "Angela said that Lisette was insistent that she and the others go to Avalon to try and help him, so Elisa sent the four to Avalon..." 

"Which is why Elisa is in a coma right now?" Brooklyn guessed, wincing at the word and feeling guilty all at the same time. For the last week he had been so consumed by his anger and grief that he had paid no heed to the cares or grievances of the others -- not of Fox's pain at having her husband gone, not at Broadway's for being without Angela, and not for his very own leader who sat a vigil beside Elisa's bed. Elisa was _all_ of their friend, she always had been, and he had acted like he didn't even care that she was in a coma -- that she may never get better. 

Sighing, Lexington nodded grimly. "Owen said that she was too weak and that none of them saw it..." 

"But why is Lisette still on Avalon? Why didn't she come back with the others?" Brooklyn asked, still amazed at the fact that his love was still alive and breathing somewhere and not gone as he had feared, as the others had warned. Suddenly, the night seemed even brighter than before as the stars seemed to shine down and twinkle with a cold warmth. It was as though in the few minutes that it took for Lex to tell him the good news, his whole outlook on life had miraculously changed -- he was ready for anything now... or almost. "What happened?" 

"Oberon and Titania found out about Lisette's magic," Lexington answered simply, a small frown pulling at his lips. He remembered Goliath's anger all to well when his leader had learned of their treachery. To know that they were still up to their old tricks infuriated the massive gargoyle -- especially when it concerned the fae taking advantage of one of his clan members -- of holding one of his clan members in a bind that couldn't be avoided. And it made him all the more furious with indignant anger when he realized that he could do nothing about it. 

"So?" Brooklyn asked quietly, afraid of the answer that he would be receiving. 

"The night when Alex was born," was Lex's simple reply as he watched the anger cloud his friend's dark eyes. 

"_What?!?_" Brooklyn roared, springing to his feet as his fist smashed against the brick wall behind them, sending small particles of stone crashing to the granite ledge. "But she's not even fae! They don't have the right..." 

"Owen said that Queen Titania decided that since Lisette is most likely half fae and can use her magic, unlike Fox, she's more fae than human and falls under Oberon's decree." 

"But..." 

"She also volunteered to stay on Avalon providing that Owen could go free," Lex interjected, his frown deepening. 

Instantly Brooklyn felt his hope dissolve in a shattered explosion of fury. "She.. she did what?" he asked slowly, trying to reign in his anger and focus on his brother's words. 

"Queen Titania tricked her into staying," Lex answered slowly, growing uneasy at the dangerous look in his brother's dark eyes. He recognized that look all to well and bad things tended to happen to the person who was on the opposite end of the stick. "But don't worry, Owen's confident that when Elisa wakes up she'll be able to go to Avalon and bring Lisette back," he said quickly, hoping to diffuse the bomb before it exploded in his face. 

Sighing, Brooklyn closed his eyes and dipped his head towards his chest as he slowly breathed in and out, counting as high as he could as he fought his anger. When all was under control he slowly opened his eyes and stared out into the dark night. "But Elisa may not wake up," he whispered slowly, his voice low as the river twinkled far below him. 

"I know," Lexington answered softly, closing his own eyes against the sight of Hope's tear-stained face as Goliath tried to desperately calm the little girl. "I know..." 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn looked out into the quiet night. Lisette was alive out there, in a place where he couldn't reach her. But above all else, she was alive. With a start, he realized that while there was no doubt in his mind that he loved Lisette, or that she returned that love whole-heartedly, neither had actually spoken the words aloud. Smiling softly, he knew in that moment, with the moon and stars so bright above, that he would be seeing his love again -- of that he was sure. "And when I do, I promise to never let you go again," he vowed, the whole world disappearing around him as her laugh seemed to tinkle by him on the wind. "I love you." 

* * *

Avalon 

Sighing softly, Lisette shifted restlessly in her large canopy bed, her hand resting lightly above the thick bandage that pushed up on her dressing gown. "Oh mes amis, where are you?" she whispered to the dark room, lit only by the bright light of the moon that poured through the open window. Already one week had passed on Avalon since her friends had left the isle... one week which equaled six months in her world. "Why haven't you come for me yet?" she whispered to the bright moon, the tears coursing down her cheeks as her hair spread out beneath her head in a halo of light. 

"Brooklyn," she whispered softly as her small hand clenched around the light blanket that she lay upon, her face twisting in her pillow as she tried to scour the hot tears from her face. One week spent on an isle that was filled with her kin.. her kin that were suspicious and wary of her and avoided her at all costs. She had been alone these last few days, her sole company the queen of Avalon of which Lisette found herself unable to trust.. how could she? She had been tricked into resting on this isle.. for eternity. _We shall return shortly with Talika to bring you home. She will not stand for this._

"Owen, where are you all? You promised," she whispered as she shook with her emotions. She hated it here, on this isle that promised peace and perfect tranquility while it afforded only isolation and loneliness. The others treated her like she was an abomination. A plague upon their kind. An oddity. She was not a full fey, but merely a hybrid with astonishing powers. She was odd... but she had always been odd. In her short life, she had _never_ fit in, had never been accepted... save in Manhattan. Her clan had accepted her there, had welcomed her into their fold.... and now they had abandoned her.. forgotten her. 

"Only six months have passed... surely they will come," she murmured to herself, trying to fight off her growing desperation. "Brooklyn, mon amour, where are you?" she sobbed quietly, no longer able to keep her tears silent as she curled into a ball, ignoring the protesting pain of her wound -- the wound that rested over her heart -- and buried her face into the soft feather pillow, trying to quiet her pain. "Mon amour..."

* * * * * 

Sighing softly, he watched through slitted eyes as the angel cried out to the heavens. She was in pain again -- pain of her heart. But he did not understand why. She was half fae, or so he had been told, but the fae did not carry on like this, did not meddle with these bothersome feelings of love and despair -- why, she carried on like some poor human child! Foolish human! The thought wanted to make him laugh.. but he couldn't. As he had for the last few nights, he quietly watched from her window ledge as the angel cried out her pain, touching him in a way that he could not name. She was unhappy here, that much so obvious, but it was unavoidable. Why did she cry as she did? 

Her face was unlined and unmarked by age, young and fresh and speaking of an ageless wisdom and innocence that begged for only warmth and love. But now, it lay pale and streaked with fresh tears. And her eyes.. how he wished that he could see her eyes, to see their warmth and color that were left only to his imagination as the darkness hid all. But the darkness did not hide her long trail of pale blond hair that shimmered in the bright moonlight, cascading down her shoulders and back like spun golden silk. And then her figure, all but hidden beneath the many folds of fabric and soft cotton, revealing little besides a small curve here and there. It wasn't right that this angel should be so hurt and scarred with pain... it wasn't right and it caused him to feel things that he had never experienced before -- an almost warming of his cold heart. 

"S'il vous plait..." 

Unable to stay hidden in the shadows any longer, he gently jumped down from the ledge and landed quietly on the floor of her room. "Please don't cry," he whispered softly, his voice sounding like a gunshot in the quiet room. 

Instantly, a gasp of surprise and fear left his angel's mouth as she uncurled and sat up quickly, wincing as a flare of pain climbed her side as she placed her hand gently over her healing wound. "Who is it? Who is there?" she demanded, her eyes, all but hidden in the gloomy darkness, scanning the quiet room. 

"Please don't cry any longer," he repeated as he slowly stepped away from the darkness and into a bright shaft of moonlight. 

Confused, Lisette slowly straightened further as her bright eyes scanned the man.. no, the fae, that stood in her bed chamber. "Who are you?" she asked slowly, curiosity causing her to forget her tears as she slowly scooted off of the bed, her bare feet moving soundlessly over the cold stone floor till she was standing before him, looking up into his dark eyes. While it was true that during her brief time here she had not seen all that Avalon had to offer, she was still surprised to find that she hadn't seen all of her fae kin that occupied the isle -- and this fae was most definitely a stranger to her. He stood tall above her, a good three inches of height added on with shiny black hair framing his face in curly dark locks, his pale fey ears poking out of the mass on either side. He had broad shoulders and dark lavender leggings that were topped in a deep red tunic, but his bright violet eyes were what had captured her attention the most. "Who are you?" she repeated when she got no answer. 

Unable to answer her simple question, he admired her beauty in the bright light of the moon. How he wished he had been present when this angel had arrived from the mortal world, so that he had been able to see her beauty sooner. But in a way, it was almost better to see her light captured in the dark night by the bright moon. The way that the soft wind caught the material of her gown and gently framed around her body, highlighting the curves that had been hiding while she slept, the hair that fell even longer than he had imagined, and the eyes.. the bright blue eyes that seemed to peer down into his deep, dark soul. 

With that thought he quickly straightened. That was what had captivated him so much -- the contrast between her light and his darkness. "My lady," he murmured quietly with a hard smile as he reached down to take her small hand in his own and raise it to his mouth, his cold lips brushing against her satiny skin. 

Startled, Lisette stood still for a moment, transfixed by the stranger's lips upon her hand before she quickly snatched it away and cradled it to her chest. "Who are you?" she repeated, a small frown crossing her lips. 

Smiling softly, the man slowly shook his head at the wariness in her beautiful eyes -- they were so expressive, even more so than a word or song could ever be. "I am Iris, fae extrordinaire," he replied as he bowed with a flourish, delighting in the small smile that graced his angel's lips. 

"So I see, monsieur," she murmured as he straightened and withdrew a bright red rose from behind his back, offering it to her as his dark violet eyes probed her own. Wary for some reason, she slowly backed away into the cold comfort of darkness... she didn't like the way his eyes delved into her own, as if he could read her very soul with those eyes. "What.. what are you doing here?" 

"I heard you crying," he answered simply as he waved his arm with a flourish, indicating the open window behind him. "I was curious." 

"Oh," she murmured slowly as she backed further into the darkness. "I am sorry that I disturbed-" 

"Not at all," he answered quickly as he stepped away from the window and further into the room, following her retreating figure. "What is it that troubles you so?" 

Instantly a flash of confusion filled her as she stopped her retreating. This Iris confused her as no other. In one instant she felt the need and desire to be as far away from him as possible, fearing him for some strange reason, while in the next he seemed perfectly harmless and nothing more than caring, causing her to feel foolish for her silly behavior. "I.. I miss my home," she replied honestly as he finished off the distance between them and gently took her hand into his once again, her eyes locked with his own. 

"But is this not your home now?" he inquired, confused by her response. 

Smiling sadly, Lisette slowly shook her head. "I suppose that I miss my friends more than the home itself." 

"Ah, I see," Iris answered slowly, not really seeing at all. "Well you shall have more friends here. New friends," he stated firmly, a bright smile lifting his lips. 

Smiling wryly, Lisette couldn't help but laugh. "It is not the same.. besides, none of your kin are willing to befriend me..." 

"I will be your friend," he countered quickly, that same irresistible smile lighting his features. 

Laughing, Lisette gently withdrew her hand from his. "Alright then, Monsieur Iris, friends we shall be," she proclaimed with a gentle smile. 

"Good then," Iris said quickly, his smile growing as his angel's light smile warmed his cold heart. "I will see you again, my friend," he murmured before disappearing in a flash of bright light and leaving Lisette alone with her thoughts once again. 

Shaking her head slowly, Lisette slowly wandered back to her large bed and crawled in once more. "Iris..." she murmured softly, pondering the enigma of her new friend as sleep stole over her and brought her to darkness once more. 

* * *

Three Weeks Later 

"Iris, do you realize that it has been a month since my friends have left me?" 

"Hmm?" Iris asked slowly, glancing up lazily from his place in the grass. With a growing smile, he turned and watched as Lisette slowly swirled three massive trees up above their heads, all but blocking out the bright moon as she idly practiced her magic. 

"I have been here for a month now," Lisette repeated, a sad smile tugging at her lips as she clapped her hands together, magically restoring the massive trees to their rightful places. In truth, the time she had spent on Avalon had passed by quickly, her days filled with lessons upon endless lessons with either Queen Titania herself or the Sisters Three, working to hone her magical skills and bring her up to the status at which she was expected to be. On the other hand, her nights were filled with hours upon hours of time just spent with her dear friend, chatting about all that she missed back home and all that her future held for her, amused for hours on end by the amusing tales of Iris's endless resume of tricks and pranks. Yet throughout it all, thoughts of her friends at home never were far from her mind... Brooklyn was never far from her mind. 

"So?" Iris asked, yawning as he stared up at the dark stars so high above. 

"So?" Lisette sputtered in mock anger as she climbed to her knees, her long gown draping around her as she crawled over to Iris and slugged him gently on the arm. "Iris, I have been here for a month! A month!" she cried out, her light humor instantly collapsing under her tears. 

"Lisette, what's wrong?" Iris asked quickly, concern touching his features as he got to his knees and wrapped his arms gently around her small shoulders. 

"Iris, a month here on Avalon is equivalent to two years in the mortal world!" she sobbed, her heart breaking all over again. 

"Did you really take the time to sit down and figure that out?" Iris joked, gently pulling away and brushing her pale blond hair away from her tear streaked face. 

Ignoring his light words, Lisette quickly shook her head. "I've been gone for two years now.. why haven't they come for me? Why hasn't Brooklyn come for me?" she whispered, closing her eyes against her confused pain. 

Sighing softly, Iris gently reached forward till his hand was gently resting upon Lisette's smooth cheek, slowly sliding down until he lifted her small chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I cannot speak for your friends, but I can say that I would never, _never_ leave you for that long. Perhaps.. perhaps they were not as close as you thought.. perhaps your Brooklyn was not all that you thought him to be," he responded quietly, knowing that his words would hurt her. 

"What?" she asked softly, her blue eyes flooding with tears and the despair that she felt. "But.. but he loved -- loves me!" she protested, correcting herself in mid-sentence. "He could never give up on me! My friends would never abandon me!" Lisette protested, realizing that her words sounded weak even to her own ears. 

"If that's true, then where are they now?" he questioned slowly as he climbed to his feet, staring down at her bent form sadly as he ran a slow hand through his unruly black hair. "I'm sorry, my angel," he whispered softly, using his pet name that was reserved only for her, "but perhaps you should think again of who your real friends are." 

With those words spoken, Iris disappeared in a flash of light. Sighing, Lisette drew her tear stained eyes away from the place he just occupied and slowly drew her legs close to her chest. Iris was a good friend, but she just couldn't believe his words, she couldn't give up on her friends... not yet. 

But two years.. two years had passed in her home.... what could take them two years to come to her? By now.. by now Alex would be five years old! Up and talking and walking like an angel! And the others.. her clan had all aged one year by now.. how much had they all changed since she had been away? What about Caleb? Had he returned to wreak havoc among her loved ones? For surely something had happened -- surely something horrible had happened to prevent them from coming for her.. surely they hadn't just forgotten her? "Brooklyn, je t'aime... please do not forget about me...."

* * * * * 

Smiling softly, Iris watched from his perch in the tree tops as his angel cried her heart out beneath him. The smile was a cold one, for even though it pained him to see her hurting like she was, he also knew that it was necessary for his cause. So, he allowed the coldness to well up from deep within him and cover his face with a mask of indifference. Let her suffer. 

"My, aren't we the demon tonight?" a soft voice taunted from behind him. 

Turning quickly, Iris was mildly surprised to a find a slim gargoyle form lounging lazily on the large tree branch behind him. "Velvet, what brings you here tonight?" he asked sourly, annoyed to have his peaceful night interrupted by the annoying likes of the gargess. 

"What else? Watching you wreak havoc on poor Lisette's emotions!" Velvet cackled, a large smile lighting her face. 

Sighing, Iris slowly allowed his eyes to roam over the gargess. The mortal Princess Katherine and her friends, the Magus and Guardian Tom, had not been very creative when picking the name for the hatchling that stood before him. After all, the gargess was covered in a fur that was so soft that it felt like velvet -- black velvet that easily hid her in the darkness and allowed only the whites of her eyes to shine out. With silky black hair that flowed in a short bob around her face and a black tunic, she made the perfect one for stealth.. a fact that he hated. "Speaking of wreaking havoc, don't you think that it's about time you went down and made your appearance?" he asked, his voice snide as he appraised the gargess with the contempt that he felt. 

"Oh do I have to?" the young gargess whined slowly as she leaned back against the tree, idly picking at her long talons as she sighed her discontent. "All of my rookery brothers and sisters know that being nice is not one of my strong points..." 

"Which is exactly why your brothers and sisters are all happily mated while you have no one and will grow up to be an ugly, unhappy old maid!" Iris bit back, watching in unveiled amusement as a look of anger flashed across the gargess's face. 

"Why-" 

"And which is why you must continue to befriend Lisette and convince her that her _Brooklyn_ is no-good and who no longer loves her, who _can't_ love her so that..." 

"So that you would finally have Lisette and I would still have nothing!" Velvet interrupted quickly, a large scowl on her face. "You heard what she said! It has already been two years in her world! If she ever does return to this Manhattan, which is unlikely, her Brooklyn will be old and wrinkled and of no use to me!" she huffed, her eyes slowly losing their blood-red light. "I get no reward from this little arrangement that we have created!" 

"Perhaps," Iris murmured as a knowing smile covered his lips, "or perhaps not. In either case, like I promised you two weeks ago, in doing this you will be rewarded with the mate that you desire..." 

"As wonderful as this Brooklyn that she _always_ speaks of?" she asked softly, a strange light entering her eyes. 

"The same," he murmured as he slowly clenched his fist, his eyes never leaving the broken form of his angel. He, of such darkness, should never be allowed to touch the light that is of her beauty, of her heart -- never. But for her, he would hide his cold exterior to make her his. 

Yet over and over again she had pushed him away in all matters of romance, only wanting his friendship as she waited for her _love_ to rescue her. In the end, she would only be his if she was no longer the gargoyle's.. and so became his plan and the involvement of Velvet. She would have her desired mate in the end, and all it took was a simple form of craftiness. 

His fae kin were more than happy to avoid the halfling at any cost, finding no interest in the mortal while his Lord and Queen were merely thankful that he did not share his kin's disdain. The only real trouble came from the mortal gargoyle clan that occupied their isle. The meddlesome fools had been all too happy at the prospect of meeting the young halfling that their clan sister, Angela, had spoken so highly of... a meddling that would only hinder his work at making his angel rely upon him fully. 

So, it was with Velvet's help that the young mage had been convinced that the gargoyle clan shared his kin's disdain at that of which was not pure, but merely a mutt of mixing blood. Now, the only ones that she had on Avalon that she felt that she could trust were the two that were manipulating her the most. Grinning in the darkness, Iris slowly nodded his head. "Go to her, Velvet, and do the thing that you do so well -- manipulate her." 

Smiling a fanged smile at his words, the gargess slowly nodded her head before launching herself off into the dark night, gliding silently down until she was crouched behind the young woman. "Lisette, what troubles you so?" she murmured quietly, causing the woman to turn even before she had finished and launch herself into her dark arms. 

"Oh Velvet, do you as well think that they have forgotten me?" Lisette whispered hoarsely, voicing her fears aloud as her heart clenched tight with the pain she felt. "Why have they not come for me? Why hasn't Brooklyn come for me?" she whispered as she hugged her gargess friend tightly, the tears burning at her eyes. 

Sighing, Velvet silently slipped into the roll that Iris demanded as she gently soothed the young woman, rubbing her back gently as she searched for the right words. "Lisette," she began slowly as she pulled away and stared deep into the young woman's large blue eyes with eyes that were the color of the deepest night, "perhaps.. perhaps that they haven't forgotten you.. but are relieved at your going?" she suggested, wincing as a look of horror covered the young woman's face. "I mean, you know that both Iris and I care for you deeply," she quickly pushed on, nearly gagging at the words as she gripped the woman's shoulders tightly, "but perhaps for your clan in Manhattan it was more difficult to accept the fact that you were a halfling..." 

"What.. what do you mean?" Lisette asked slowly, the tears sliding down her pale cheeks. 

"Well.. what if the clan felt as my clan, or your fae kin here? What if what you took for acceptance was truly just pity?" 

"But.. but no!" Lisette protested as she quickly drew away, fighting her friend's words with every fiber in her body. "My clan loves me! Brooklyn loves me! They care for me a great deal! Why.. Elisa.. Elisa is like a _sister_ to me, and Goliath.. he's my _leader!!_ And Angela and I are so very close... and Brooklyn.. oh Brooklyn," she sobbed as she dropped to her knees, her hands hiding her face as the sobs wracked her body. "Brooklyn _loves_ me!!" 

"But Lisette," Velvet whispered softly as she knelt once more beside the young woman and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "If that were all true, then where are they now? Why have they not come for you?" she asked softly, her voice betraying none of the boredom that she felt at the young halfling's problems. 

Shocked, Lisette slowly shook her head as Velvet's words rang through her mind. "Something.. something must have happened. They.. something stopped them from coming," she murmured, closing her eyes against the fresh wave of tears. Deep in her heart, she knew that her clan couldn't have forgotten her, that her _love_ couldn't have forgotten her. 

She was a freak.. Brooklyn never loved her, but only pitied her... never loved her. 

"_No_," she murmured forcefully, her eyes snapping open as she focused on her caring friend. "That cannot be true... I _know_ that they love and care for me...." 

"Perhaps," Velvet conceded, sighing as she realized that she would get no where with this line of thought. Even though the doubts crept through the young woman's mind, her heart promised her that the words were untrue. This young halfling would never forgo everyone, for she would never doubt them.. which meant that Velvet had to try a different tactic. "Perhaps," she continued as she gently wrapped another arm around the young woman. "Or mayhap Brooklyn really wanted one of his own kind? Deserved a gargess for a mate?" she suggested, hiding her smile behind a look of concern. 

Instantly, fresh tears flooded Lisette's eyes as she slowly shook his head. "But.. but he loves me," she murmured, confusion flooding her. 

"Maybe he does love you.. maybe he believed that you were the only one for him.. but is that fair?" Velvet asked, seeing that she had Lisette's complete attention. "From what my clan sister, Angela, has told me of the rest of our clan in Manhattan, the numbers are small. What of a future for the clan? What future could you provide for the clan as Brooklyn's mate?" she prodded, seeing that her words were reaching the young woman. 

"What.. what do you mean?" Lisette asked slowly, brushing a wave of hair from her wet face as the soft grass bit through the thick material of her gown and pressed against her bare legs. In that instant, the world faded away as the night sounds dulled, leaving her in the perfect moment with the prickly grass pressing into her legs, the wet dew seeping through as her hands turned to ice, matching her heart perfectly as her sight focused on Velvet's dark lips. 

"What about hatchlings?" she asked, watching as the halfling's blue eyes clouded over and her face lost its expression. "Is such a thing even possible with you? They would inherit your magical prowess... would your Brooklyn want that?" 

Biting her lip so hard that it drew blood, Lisette slowly shook her head, her face dry now in the soft breeze save for a single tear that trickled down her pale cheek. She desperately wanted Velvet to stop, to stop voicing aloud all of Lisette's secret fears that she had kept deeply hidden within her. 

"What if your magic, or your being 'different' somehow hurts your love in the end?" Velvet pressed, adding the final stake into the young woman's chest. "Mayhap he loves you as much as you proclaim... but perhaps in the end he is better off without you.. safer and happier with a gargoyle mate, a gargoyle love that can bare him gargoyle hatchlings and live a normal gargoyle life, not threatened by magic..." she trailed off, inherently knowing that her work was done and no more words would be needed. 

The seeds of doubts had been planted -- the seeds that would push Lisette away from her Brooklyn.. perhaps even away from her clan. Now, she had no more tears to cry as all emotion dried up within her, leaving her a hollow shell of coldness. _Two years._ "They will come for me.." she murmured hollowly as she leaned against her friend and stared up at the cold stars above, "you'll see Velvet, mon ami, they will come for me..." 

* * *

Manhattan 

As the moon moved on its silent course through the dark night sky, Brooklyn slowly massaged his aching wing joints, thankful that the night's patrol was finally over -- it was like the never-ending patrol filled with violence, strife, and more senseless deaths. Then again, such was New York City at anytime of the year. A few more weeks to go and then Valentine's Day would be upon them.. if only Lisette were there to share in the holiday. If only Elisa was able to join Goliath in what had become tradition for them.. if only. 

"Man, am I ever glad that's over with," Broadway sighed as he slowly lumbered onto the high castle tower and settled heavily beside his rookery brother. "I'll never understand what comes over this city this time of year. Why can't it be Christmas coming up instead?" 

Breaking away from his thoughts, Brooklyn grinned sheepishly at his rookery brother. "But you should be happy -- it's almost Valentine's," he said, forcing his voice to take on a note of nonchalance even as an old and stinging pain burned deep within his chest. He doubted that the pain would ever go away. 

"So?" Broadway asked, his expression instantly turning sour. "I know what you're going to say," he quickly interrupted, holding up a large blue hand to stop Brooklyn's sputtering. "But it doesn't matter.." he continued as he slowly turned to look up at the moon, thoughts of the human holiday flying through his mind, "Angela's human." 

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly nodded his agreement. With Lisette on Avalon, Puck locked into the role of Owen, and Elisa sealed away in a timeless coma there was no one left to change Angela back into her true form. What had started out as a night of fun and a harmless prank of changing her form had left the young gargess, Broadway's mate, stuck in a form that she despised. Gone from her life was patrol, stone hibernation, or any of the things that she loved most.. instead she was stuck in a weak form that she didn't know how to use to her advantage quite yet, locked in the differences of her race from Broadway, realizing the adversity and problems that her father had to deal with Elisa for all this time. "Well... you can still be together," Brooklyn suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "You guys can still go out..." 

"And what about Alex and Hope?" Broadway asked, not about to let his rookery brother cast away his depression so quickly. After all, ever since she had returned to him their lives had changed... she hadn't been his any longer. Instead, during the day she had been cast into the role of Hope's surrogate mother, the little girl needing someone to care for as her mother so obviously was unable to. So, during that time Angela had turned into a sort of nanny for both Hope and Alex.. meaning that she spent more and more time sleeping the nights away then spending it with him. She had no choice. 

"I'm sure that Owen can..." 

"Brooklyn," Broadway interrupted, grateful to his brother for trying so hard to brighten his mood but knowing it was of no use, "_none_ of us can go out on Valentine's Day... the humans know that we exist now and to do so would just be problems for us. We can't go out as gargoyles," he argued, watching as Brooklyn's expression seemed to falter. 

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly nodded his head as he stared out at the bright moon. "I know," he murmured, "I know." The beginning of the catalyst that marked their lives was Hunter's Moon... it seemed so long ago. The night where Demona threatened the entire human race, and in the process, exposed them to Manhattan, if not the world. Immediately following the world had been in an uproar and the city hadn't been safe.. but since then things had died down... sort of. Now the world knew about them and the populace would not be fooled into thinking that they were wearing 'great costumes.' No.. they would see right through their feeble attempts and would know the truth and they would be in danger once more. 

"We'll _never_ be able to walk the streets of New York City," Broadway muttered sourly, shifting uncomfortably on the cold stone, small puffs of snow falling around him, amazed at his own grim look at life. 

"Goliath will have your head if he hears you saying that," Brooklyn returned quietly, not knowing how to counter his friend's pessimistic view. "And what's gotten into you anyway? This doesn't sound like you," he added, brotherly concern coloring his voice. "Is it Angela?" 

"More the fact that she's not gargoyle," Broadway muttered quietly as he kicked his feet out into the dark night, aimlessly crunching a piece of icy granite in his fist. 

"Hey," Brooklyn interrupted quietly as he placed a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. "When Elisa wakes up, then we'll get Lisette back _and_ change Angela back into a gargoyle," he murmured, a hopeful smile on his face. 

"_If_ she ever awakens," Broadway added glumly, not noticing as the red gargoyle's face fell once more. "I mean, it's been-" 

"Broadway, Brooklyn!" a voice called out suddenly, breaking both out of their dark thoughts as they whirled around to see a very-human Angela standing at the stairway that led down to the castle behind them, the dark night catching her dark brown braid and tossing it around her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around her, the soft snow flakes powdering her form. 

"What are you doing out here!?" Broadway quickly admonished as he hurried to his love's side, wrapping his warm velvety wings around her, instinctively protecting her from the cold air that he couldn't feel. Even as he warmed at the feeling of his love in his arms, he also felt his mood crumble even more as he realized once again that were she only gargoyle, such actions wouldn't be needed. 

Smiling up at Broadway's warm eyes, Angela leaned into his embrace. "Hope is asking that you both join us -- we're going to go and visit Elisa," she murmured, feeling the world melt away so that it was just she and her mate, locked forever in a timeless embrace. 

"Um... I'll go on ahead and Hope and I will meet you there," Brooklyn broke in, recognizing the love that was shining in the couples' eyes all too easily. Smiling, he quickly stood up and jumped from the parapet, gliding gently to the courtyard below. He was happy for his brother, happy for the love that he and Angela so obviously shared... yet at the same time he couldn't help but be filled with a longing for the same. How he wanted his love back in his arms again... Shaking his head, he quickly poked his head into the large Great Hall. "Come on, Hope, let's go see your mom." 

* * *

Infirmary 

Smiling softly, Goliath slowly stretched out his large wings before slowly advancing on the familiar white bed that occupied its usual corner. "Good evening, my love," he murmured as he swept down on the chair that sat, as always, to the left of the bed, allowing him to look down upon Elisa's peaceful face. She was so lovely.. so very beautiful. Each night as he returned from patrol, it was her lovely face that allowed him to forget the hatred and evil of the night beyond. She brought him peace... and sadness. 

"I just finished with patrol," he murmured as he gently took her slim hand into his own, careful of the wires that were attached, and gently squeezed it as he reached forward with his other hand and gently rubbed it against her cheek. "It was.. busy, as the city prepares for Valentine's once again. Two weeks... and then the holiday will be upon us. It will be good for the holiday to pass." Even with his words thoughts of their shared Valentine's Days together flooded his mind. "Do you remember when we celebrated this day together? Our first one?" he rumbled softly. "The night was so perfect..." he said, smiling softly. "No villain to stop, no plans to thwart, no crimes to halt... just you and I," he rumbled. 

Shaking his head, he gently ran his hands through her thick black hair. "Fox mentioned earlier that today was your day for therapy and that you did a wonderful job," he murmured, talking to her as he always did, hoping that somehow his words reached her wherever she rested. In reality, her therapy amounted to little. It was necessary in her state that her muscles be worked so that they did not waste away to nothing... mainly just stretching her limbs to keep the muscles there for when she awakened.. if she awakened. 

"And I see that they washed your hair today," he continued, admiring the way that her hair shined under the harsh lights. "You look beautiful, as always, my love," he continued as he adjusted her blanket. "And we all miss you..." he trailed off as he watched her chest rise and fall rhythmically, reminding him that somewhere deep inside his Elisa prevailed, still fought for her life.. for them. Somewhere she was locked deep within and he wanted nothing more than to reach her... his worst fear was that she was conscious all this time, able to hear and sense everything that happened but unable to communicate with them, locked in a silent prison.. he didn't want her to be alone in that silence forever and tried to comfort her with his words. Her rising and falling... 

"She also mentioned that Matt and Captain Chavez visited you with your parents today," he continued, blinking away his thoughts as he focused on his love's pale lips, ever unmoving. "Chavez knew that you had befriended the Xanatos family and bought the story of being moved from the hospital upstate to stay here, where you would get the best attention," he added, smiling at the thought. "Matt was very... creative, with his excuse as to what happened, and she has not questioned him yet on it.. they are still looking for the 'criminals' who are responsible for your condition," he laughed quietly, finding a dark humor in the situation. He had to these days, for without his duty to his clan and the smallest things to laugh at each day... he would fall apart at the seams. "And Talon and Maggie promised to come visit tomorrow night..." 

"Oh, Elisa," he whispered, a single tear burning at the corner of his eye as he gripped Elisa's hand tighter. "Please come back to me..." he whispered as he slowly brought her hand to his cheek as he dropped his head to the bed beside her, finding comfort in her steady breathing. "You've been through so much worse.. you cannot let this stop you now... I love you...." 

And then, as the emotions built within him, a soft and gentle voice intruded upon his thoughts as a soft hand gently entwined itself in his thick, black hair. "Goliath?" 

For a brief moment, Goliath did not acknowledge the movement as he lay still, his heart beginning to beat at an alarming rate. And then, very slowly as though he were afraid that all was just a figment of his desire to see something that was not there, Goliath lifted his head and found himself staring into Elisa's deep brown eyes, filled with confusion and an overwhelming love as her hand fell weakly back beside her limp form. "Elisa?" he whispered quietly, praying to all of the Gods above that he was not dreaming as he quickly lifted her hand to his lips and pushed his chair away, leaning closer to her beautiful face. 

"Goliath.. what... what happened? Where am I?" Elisa murmured, weakly turning her head to look around the large infirmary, the confusion growing larger as she took in the sterile environment. 

"Oh Gods, you are back," he gasped, his voice choked with joy and amazement as he quickly reached forward and wrapped his massive arms around her thin form, squeezing her gently as he breathed in her sweet scent, unable to stop the tears from streaking down his face. 

"Goliath... Big Guy, what's wrong?" Elisa gasped, her confusion ebbing away to be replaced by concern as she felt moisture on the back of her neck, realizing with a start that her Goliath, the one who stood tall and resilient as the stone he became, was crying. "I love you," she murmured, not knowing what was wrong and not knowing how to fix it, relying on the only thing she did know for sure. 

"_MOMMY!!!_" a voice suddenly screeched, echoing throughout the bright room and breaking into the couple's embrace. 

Turning, Elisa pulled away from her love as a golden bundle dived into her awaiting arms, causing her to gasp in surprise as she looked down in amazement. "Hope," she murmured softly, tears finally coming to her eyes as Goliath wrapped his strong arms around her once again, cradling them both in his warm embrace -- safe from the world. "Everything will be alright," she murmured, knowing in that moment that nothing could detract from the love that they all shared.

* * * * * 

"So Lisette has been on Avalon all this time?" Elisa asked slowly as she absently ran her weak hand through Hope's soft head of blond locks, chewing her lip thoughtfully as she slowly regarded the assemblage of gargoyles and humans that surrounded her bedside. 

"We have to go get her," Brooklyn said quietly from his perch on the hospital bed that had been pulled beside the detective's, Lexington sitting at his side. "She's been there so long...." 

"We promised her that we would be right back," Angela added, nodding her agreement as she squeezed Broadway's hand gently, trying to maintain her grasp on the serious topic that they discussed even as her heart soared at seeing Elisa's bright eyes roving around the room, pondering their problem. 

"But you cannot go until you are strong enough," Owen interrupted as he quickly adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, barely beating Goliath to the same statement as Xanatos and Hudson nodded their agreement. They had already experienced once what happened when the detective tried something that her body was just not yet prepared for... they didn't want to risk losing her again. 

"But we can't just leave her there," Fox countered as she hugged her son close, noting that his bright eyes followed the conversation closely. 

Sighing his agreement, Goliath closed his dark eyes momentarily as he squeezed Elisa's shoulder gently. "While Lisette has been away from her clan for too long, you all must remember that time passes only one hour on Avalon for each day here.. to her it has not been that long...." 

"Yeah, but she's gotta know how long it's been here and is wondering where we are," Lex interrupted, sending his leader an apologetic shrug as Brooklyn nodded in agreement. 

"Which is exactly _my_ point," Matt Bluestone interrupted, breaking into the conversation as he stepped away from his place against the wall and nodded at his partner. "Elisa, it hasn't been exactly easy for me to convince the Captain of how you got into this mess in the first place with the little amount of time I had to come up with a good excuse," he stated as he ran a hand through his thick red hair. "She's finally gotten to the point where she visits you nearly every day... what am I supposed to tell her as to why she all of a sudden can't visit you while you're gone on Avalon? Who knows how long you'd be gon-" 

"But we can't just leave her there!" Brooklyn interrupted again, growing impatient with the talk. Ever since he and Hope had stepped back into the room and had saw Elisa, awake and well, his heart had soared as he realized that he was that much closer to finally reclaiming his love. Now, despite the time that he had already waited, he grew impatient with the pointless talking instead of doing what needed to be done. 

"We won't," Elisa murmured with such a note of finality that everyone in the room knew that the subject was closed, watching as the detective's soft brown eyes hardened with determination. "Lisette, despite how long she has already been there, won't be harmed by staying there a few more weeks.. just until I get my strength up a little more," she explained. "And then we'll get her back." 

* * *

Avalon 

As tiny beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead, the young woman quickly ducked the oncoming attack and rolled off to the side. As the sharp blades of grass and small twigs poked against her heavy dress she quickly rolled to her feet, her breath leaving her in stinging gasps as her hair tore loose of its restraints to frame her pale face, the quiet noises of the night filling her ears. 

"Hold still, you little Mortal!" her adversary's voice hissed, breaking through the night's symphony as the enchanting fae opened her mouth wide for yet another attack, unaccustomed to having her magical attacks avoided in such physical ways. 

Ignoring the magic wielder's cry, Lisette quickly teleported from her position, disappearing in a flash of green light only to reappear once more right behind the Banshee, hiding her smirk behind a determined frown as she quickly clapped her hands together, wrapping the fae in binds of iron and light, casting her to the floor. "Hah, gotcha!" Lisette crowed, finally allowing her tensed muscles to relax as the fae glared at her through heavily lashed eyes, struggling vainly on the softly carpeted forest floor as the moon shone down upon them. But then, before she could triumph in her attack anymore Lisette felt a stab of sharp pain in her back, throwing her to the ground beside the fallen fae. Crying out, she turned quickly and watched with wide eyes as the Sisters Three looked down upon her beaten form disapprovingly. 

"Do not rejoice-" 

"In your triumphs-" 

"Quite yet, halfling," the sisters whispered as they launched another wave of magic at her, barely giving the young mage time to roll out of the way of the blast. 

"Zut!" Lisette cursed as she sprang to her feet, relying on the many months of martial arts training that she had received back at the castle as she darted behind a tree, barely avoiding what would have been another wounding strike. 

From up above, Queen Titania watched all of this with a hidden smile, noting with satisfaction that the young halfling relied on not only her magical abilities, but her physical ones as well to avoid harm. Such actions were not commonly seen amongst her fae children, giving Lisette the advantage that she needed in order to defeat the Banshee... but the Sisters Three were a different matter entirely. Out of all of the fae that occupied Avalon, save she and her Lord, the magical sisters were the ones remaining that would pose a severe threat to the powerful mortal. "Think, young Lisette," she commanded, her regal voice breaking into the training down below. "Think out your situation and act instead of reacting to their methods." 

Smiling, she saw that her words obviously had reached the young woman as Lisette quickly closed her eyes, calling upon the magic of the Isle itself to power her next attack as a ring of fire surrounded the Sisters Three, causing the triplets to cringe in surprise. Then, with a clap of her hands the young mage quickly wrapped the fire up and around until it was a dome covering the fae, using her mind to fight off their attacks as she slowly closed in her shield around them. 

Nodding her approval, Queen Titania watched all through slitted eyes, noting the exertion that it cost the young mortal as her body became rigid, her face lined with tension... when a sudden tingling in the further regions of Titania's mind caused her to clap her hands together, instantly breaking the mage's concentration. 

"Quoi?" Lisette asked in surprise as her flaming shield dissipated into nothing, sending her staggering against a tree for support. Shaking her head, she quickly looked up into the dark night sky and watched as the Queen of Avalon slowly lowered down to the forest floor, a faraway look in her eyes as she settled between the adversaries. 

"My Queen?" one of the sisters asked, which, Lisette wasn't sure as the blond took a hesitant step forward, her sisters at her side. 

"Training.. training is canceled for tonight," Titania answered slowly as she focused once more on those that surrounded her. Quickly, she snapped her fingers and broke the spell that bound the Banshee to the ground. "That will be all," she announced, instantly dismissing the confused fae from around her as she strode purposefully to the young mage. 

Growing more confused by the moment, Lisette watched as the Sisters Three shrugged their shoulders as one before disappearing with a flash, the Banshee sending her a scornful glare before following suit, leaving her alone with the Lady of the Isle in the dark night. Shaking her head, she quickly wiped a light hand against her face, shrugging off her fatigue as she turned to the mistress of the Isle. "Queen Titania?" she asked. 

"Lisette, you did well tonight," Titania responded quietly, her even voice sounding more like a purr to her own ears as she stopped before the child, her cape twirling around her slim figure. 

"Merci beaucoup," was her hesitant response as Lisette nodded at the woman, confusion playing across her face. After all, in the last five months not a single night was there an interruption in her nightly lessons. Even when the Queen was not there to witness them and give instructions, the Sisters Three made sure that she stayed on a strict schedule, never giving her a moment's respite until the lesson was completed -- it was odd for the lesson to be interrupted, causing Lisette's curiosity to rise. 

Nodding, Titania eyed the young woman slowly. During the time that she had rested on Avalon, the mage had made amazing headway with her lessons, surprising even herself with the speediness at which she took to the magic.... as though the ability was as much a part of her as any other fae child. In a way, it made her long for her daughter, Fox, and wish that more could have been done to cultivate the powers that Titania knew were hiding within Fox's ordinary human means. Then again, if such a thing had happened, Titania knew that Oberon would have insisted upon Fox residing on Avalon... a thing that would have caused her daughter much grief. 

Shaking away the troubling thoughts, the queen saw that Lisette watched her with those bright, blue eyes of hers that seemed to posses a wisdom that went beyond her young years. Soon, that decision would be hers and Titania feared the answer that she would get. "Lisette... are you happy here on Avalon?" she asked slowly, knowing that the question needed to be asked. 

Surprised, Lisette merely blinked in response before quickly turning away from Titania's probing eyes, instead taking in the dark quiet of the woods. "I.. I do enjoy the isle and its beauty," she murmured uncertainly. 

Sighing, Titania slowly shook her head. "That is not what I asked. Do you _enjoy_ it here.. I see that you have made friends here on Avalon with both Iris and the young gargess...." 

"Yes," Lisette interrupted, her answer more of a sigh as she stared at a particularly interesting piece of wood lying at her feet. Even as she murmured those words, however, hot tears began to burn at her eyes as she slowly began to shuffle at the ground below with one slippered foot. "They are wonderful to me-" 

"But you miss your friends back in the mortal world?" Titania prompted, already knowing the answer as she saw a single tear drop from the woman's downcast face, breaking her cold heart once again. 

Fighting her tears, Lisette slowly nodded her head as she straightened her shoulders. "But it does not matter," she murmured, her voice catching slightly over the half truth as she lifted her head and stared defiantly into the queen's bright eyes. "I have been away from my clan for only five months here on Avalon, but for them it has been ten years... and they have not come for me yet," she murmured, her voice turning bitter as she quickly turned her face away once again, her hands curling into fists at her side. 

"But..." 

"**_No!_**" Lisette quickly cut in, her harsh tone of voice startling the queen as the young woman looked up suddenly, her eyes flashing green before slowly fading into the same soft blue. "Perhaps it is for the better this way," she added in a softer tone, causing a puzzled frown to light the fae's face. "In ten years all that I have left behind has changed so much... it is no longer my home and my clan is better without me," she murmured before disappearing in a flash of green light, leaving the clearing in a startled silence. 

Shaking her head, Titania slowly rethought her motives and pondered the problem at hand. "A puzzling matter that will have to wait," she finally murmured before disappearing as well, knowing that the time had arrived.

* * * * * 

Great Hall 

As the muffled din of voices wrapped around one another like the silky weaving of a spider's web, Queen Titania casually leaned toward her husband and whispered two words: "She's here." 

With a slight nod Oberon straightened in his throne and cast his steel gray eyes towards the entrance to the Great Hall. "Let silence reign," he commanded, his regal voice cutting through the noise like a heated knife through butter. As all eyes turned towards their Lord and father as the Sisters Three stepped as one away from the closed doors and moved gracefully through their parted kin until they knelt before the raised dais. 

"Our Lord Oberon," Selene began, her eyes flashing as she looked to her lord, her raven hair swirling around her shoulders. 

"And our Lady Titania," Luna continued, her silky white hair mimicking that of her sister. 

"Lady Talika, protector of the mortal world, and Goliath, leader of the Manhattan clan and head of Avalon's Honor Guard, seek admittance to your court with Brooklyn, second-in-command to Goliath," Phoebe finished as she lowered her head, her blond head of hair glinting in the soft lighting as they awaited their command. 

"We bid enter," Oberon responded as he extended a stiff arm out to his wife, waiting until she gently rested her hand atop his before they rose together, a sign of respect for their guests. 

As the fae of Avalon fell respectfully to their knees, the Sisters Three moved once more to the doors and opened them wide, giving room for the visitors to pass. "Ah, Lady Tal-" Oberon began warmly as the woman strode quickly into the room, her wispy skirt flaring around her slim and shapely legs, her dark eyes glowing green in anger as her raven hair formed a soft cloak behind her. 

"Don't even bother!" Elisa cut in icily as she stopped before her old friends, her hands planted on her hips as her eyes flashed with barely repressed anger. 

Ignoring this, Oberon turned amused eyes to the two gargoyles that flanked her on each side. "Goliath, welcome back to our isle and we bid welcome to our new visitor," he called out, smiling first at the familiar lavender gargoyle before turning towards the one that he assumed to be Brooklyn. 

Holding his anger in check, Goliath swiftly shook his head. "Where is she, Oberon?" 

"Why whatever are you talking about?" was the Lord's quick response as a mischievous gleam lit up his cold eyes. 

Hissing out her breath, Elisa quickly wiped a stray strand of raven hair from her face as she glared at her friends. "You know damn well what we're talking about!" she stated firmly, surprising the gathered fae with the ferocity of her voice. "It was low forcing her into that decision, of _tricking _her into that situation," she corrected as she glared at Titania, "especially when you knew that neither Goliath nor I could do anything about it!" 

Ignoring Talika's anger, Titania cast a cool eye over the group. "Your anger surprises me," she murmured, watching in concealed amusement as the brick-red gargoyle slowly followed the conversation, his quick eyes jumping warily back and forth from her to Oberon. 

Shaking his head curtly, Goliath extended his wings, sending a large crack throughout the large room as the velvety skin snapped tight before settling them over his shoulders in a dark cape. "Oberon, you gave me your word long ago that my clan would be protected and immune to the wrath of you and your children," he stated calmly, his jaw clenched tight. "Lisette is a part of my clan and you have broken your word _again_." 

Angered, Oberon slowly clenched his hand tightly on the chair's arm as he glared at the impudent mortal. "As we said before, Oberon's decree is his own to interpret," he murmured quietly, his voice a deadly monotone. 

Before Goliath could add another angry word Elisa quickly extended her hand and rested it gently on his large bicep, taking in calming breaths as she studied the couple slowly. She was letting her anger get the better of her and that needed to stop right there. This was getting them nowhere. 

It had been two weeks since she had awoken from her coma -- two weeks of grueling physical therapy as her muscles slowly regained their strength. Even now, she could feel the strain on the unused muscles and knew that she wouldn't be able to go much longer without the aid of the crutches that she had come to depend upon the last few weeks -- but she didn't want to have to resort to those means until it was very necessary. After all, any show of weakness before her 'friends' was unwise in the heated situation. And while she had all intents on settling all in a calm and diplomatic matter, upon entering the Great Hall Elisa felt her anger boil over at the sight of her friends, standing so poised before them. This act was treachery in her mind, treachery against their friendship and it angered her to no end. Still, anger would get them nowhere. 

"This is pointless," she finally stated, once more in control of herself. "We have come to get Lisette and take her back _home_ to her clan," she said quietly, stressing the noun as she slowly moved her eyes back and forth between the two fae. "She has been away from us for far too long." 

Nodding slowly, Titania stared at the detective for another moment before she snapped her fingers, instantly causing Coyote to break away from the crowd of fae to kneel before her -- not before sending an apologetic look to Talika. Smiling coyly, she knew that was to be expected as the trickster had taken an uncommon affection towards Talika's adopted family. "Coyote, bring forth Lisette," she murmured, waving him away as he disappeared in a flash of green light.

* * * * * 

"... and then she just started asking me strange questions without saying why, rien!" Lisette finished, gesturing broadly in the quiet woods as she slowly paced across the soft grass, a confused frown tugging at her lips as her gown swayed around her legs, stained and torn in places from her lesson. 

"Huh?" Violet asked, her eyes following Lisette's agitated movements before quickly turning to the fey that leaned casually against a far tree, a strange gleam in his dark eyes as they turned towards her. 

"Nothing," he muttered nonchalantly to the dark gargess, easily translating his angel's French as he pushed away from the large tree and slowly stepped beside the young woman, setting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What did she ask of you?" he asked, turning her until he was staring down into her bright blue eyes, the eyes that he loved so much. 

"Oh, she...." 

"Lisette-" 

Surprised, Lisette quickly turned away from her friends and watched in confusion as a different fey stepped out of the shadows and into the bright clearing that they occupied, his tight blue jeans swishing in the quiet night as his dark black hair glinted off of his leather jacket. "Coyote?" she asked in confusion, instantly sensing a strange tension in her fey friend as Iris slowly stepped away from her side. She didn't know why, but it seemed as though there was _always_ tension between Iris and the other fae. 

"Lisette, you are wanted immediately in the court of our Lord and Lady," Coyote commanded quietly as his dark eyes slowly slid back and forth between the young halfling, his brother, and the quiet gargess. He did not know quite why, but the sight of the two natives to Avalon with the halfling always troubled him. For some reason, he doubted that they made the best of company for the young woman. 

"Now?" Lisette asked in confusion as she slowly stepped towards the trickster, sensing her friends slowly step into place beside her. 

"Now," Coyote confirmed with a sharp nod. "Although I suggest that you-" 

Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of green light quickly covered the young mage, disappearing a moment later to reveal a deep burgundy color gown that clung to her arms and torso before flaring around her small hips, her long blond hair hanging in a loose tumble down her back with a single small braid wrapping back from each temple to form a thin braid over the top of her loose flowing mass. "Change?" she asked with a small smile, anticipating his suggestion as she nodded at the fey. "A wise suggestion, mon ami," she smiled as they both disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Iris and Velvet alone in the dark clearing. 

"Now what was _that_ all about?" Velvet asked, a clear note of annoyance in her voice as she put her hands on her hips, her full lips pouting out over her sharp fangs as her wings formed a cape around her slim form. 

"I believe," Iris murmured absently as he eyed the place that his angel once stood, "that things are finally all coming together." 

"Wh--" Velvet broke off as she and the fey disappeared in yet another flash of light, the single hooting of a hidden owl the only sound to remain in the dark island night.

* * * * * 

Great Hall 

As Lisette appeared with a flash of bright light, she instantly dropped into a low curtsy, her burgundy dress sweeping wide as her chin dropped down to her chest. "My Lord and Lady," she called out respectfully before slowly raising to regard them with curious eyes. "You summoned for...." 

"Lisette..." 

Gasping, Lisette felt herself become frozen to the floor of the Great Hall as her eyes snapped shut, her breathing becoming ragged at the sound of that single, familiar voice. Before she could stop them, hot tears flooded her eyes as a deep and confusing pain wrapped around her heart, causing for her legs to feel weak. "Brooklyn," she whispered raggedly as she slowly turned, her eyes sweeping past all of her fae kin until they came to rest on the three individuals that she thought that she would never again see. 

Shaking his head, Brooklyn slowly took a hesitant step away from Goliath and Elisa's side, his eyes never leaving that of his love's form. She was... perfection defined and the very sight of her took his breath away. How could he have been away from her for so long? The deep burgundy dress that she wore accented her every curve and contrasted sharply with her skin tone, making her appear slightly pale as her hair covered the material like golden light. In pained amazement, he watched as her rose petal lips trembled, his eyes caught in watching their soft features.. the lips that he remembered so well before his gaze slowly traveled up until they locked on the bright, sky blue eyes that he knew he would never forget, now filled with tears. 

"Lisette," he whispered again as the world dissolved around him, completely melting away as he took another hesitant step forward, one after another until he completely broke away and crossed the distance between them, instinctually wrapping his arms tight around her slim form and crushing her against his chest. "Oh Gods, I missed you so much," he breathed, her beautiful and hauntingly familiar scent filling him as he buried his head in her hair, relishing in the way that her form seemed to fit so perfectly against his own. 

"Brooklyn?" she murmured quietly, her head swimming as she clutched at him, not daring to believe that she was really in his arms again. But even as she questioned it, she knew the truth. His scent, the scent that belonged only to him, filled her head and made her legs weak as he held onto her tightly. Everything was per-- 

"Where have you been?" she asked quickly, breaking away from her thoughts as she pulled out of his embrace, unable to keep the accusing note from entering her voice as a single tear dripped down her cheek unnoticed. She had almost done it.. she had almost succumbed to her heart when her head had finally woken her from her trance. She now remembered the words of her friends here on Avalon... the truths that she must never forget. Hating herself with every step, Lisette slowly backed away from her love, not missing the look of hurt confusion that flashed across his features as she put a few feet in between them. "Why didn't you come for me?" 

Sighing, Brooklyn slowly caped his wings over his shoulders as he searched for an answer, inwardly cringing at the look of hurt that shined through his love's expressive blue eyes. He should have known that she would be upset... they had been gone for so long. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as his eyes drifted down to the floor, "but..." he trailed off as a fey and a gargess broke away from the group that filled the room and moved until they were standing on each side of his love, the light of protection shining in each of their eyes. 

Surprised, he watched as the fey, a tall being that resembled a human with long black hair and pale features, put a hand on Lisette's small shoulder, eliciting a small smile from his love as the gargess, one of Angela's rookery sisters he guessed, with skin, hair, and clothing of black flanked her other side. For some reason, he couldn't help but see the something else that flared within the fey's eyes... a sort of possessiveness that made him think that the hand on Lisette's shoulder was not only for support to his love but also a sign of possession. 

"Ten years... ten years have passed in the mortal world," Lisette interrupted, her smile growing sad as the tears flooded her eyes. "So many years have passed in our world and yet you did not come... why now?" she asked, thankful for her friends' silent support as she asked the question that had been burning within her for so long. She hadn't known that Iris and Velvet would follow her here to the Great Hall, but she was so very thankful that they had... although the thought that she needed support from her new friends to face the old was disturbing. 

"Huh?" Brooklyn asked in confusion, finally jerking his attention away from that single hand that rested on Lisette's burgundy-covered shoulder... a hand that elicited an unfamiliar wave of jealousy. "Ten years?" he repeated back, glancing back as Elisa and Goliath slowly moved to his side. "But it's only been five and a half months.. well, not _only_," he amended quickly, shrugging his shoulders -- five months were like a lifetime for him. 

Sighing, Lisette quickly shook her head, her blond hair tumbling over her shoulders. "Five months here on Avalon, oui, mais it has been ten years in Manhattan.... although you do not look as though you have aged a day," she murmured thoughtfully, taken aback by this realization as she finally turned and really took in the two that had accompanied Brooklyn. 

"What?" Goliath rumbled in surprise, confusion masking his features as he looked back and forth between Lisette and the fey and gargess that flanked her. While she seemed to be the same Lisette that had disappeared from them so long ago, Goliath already sensed a change in her.. nothing too different, but nothing subtle at the same time. 

"Lisette," Elisa broke in slowly, her eyes narrowing as she stepped forward and gently took one of the young woman's hands in her own, pulling the young woman forward and away from her friends. "Five months have already passed here on Avalon?" she questioned, staring deep into her blue eyes. 

"Well.. yes, yes of course," Lisette responded hesitantly, surprised by her clan's reaction. There was something wrong here.. something different that she just couldn't place her finger on. "Why? What is wrong?" she demanded as she saw a spark of anger flash in Elisa's chocolate brown eyes. 

Closing her eyes, Elisa quickly counted to ten in her mind before turning back to the raised dais, knowing that her eyes were glowing green in anger. "You _changed_ it and you didn't even _tell_ her!?" she growled out, jabbing a finger at the King and Queen of Avalon, her voice ringing throughout the large room. 

Sighing, Titania slowly leaned back in her chair as her husband steepled his fingers before him. She knew that this moment was to come and that Talika's anger was to be expected. But then again, when faced with the amazing prospects, Titania knew that the trade off would be well worth a few centuries of anger in the end. 

Straightening, Titania gracefully rose from her throne and stepped into the medley of people, pushing past some until she stood tall and straight before Talika and the young mage. "Allow me to explain," she said quietly as she smiled at the uncertainty that was shining in Lisette's bright blue eyes. The poor child was being faced with so much, had already gone through so much during her short life. 

"Please do," Lisette nodded, the confusion clouding her eyes as she turned back and forth from Elisa to Titania, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at Brooklyn. 

"When you came to us, Lisette, all those months ago in hopes of restoring your teacher back to the mortal realm," Titania began, smiling gently down at the young woman, "you demonstrated a very strong determination and love of all those close to you. When you defied Oberon's ruling and saved Puck from death, you proved your capability for love to everyone -- as well as your magical abilities. I knew that I could not allow you to return to Manhattan where your magical ability would never reach its full potential...." 

"And why not?" Elisa broke in, crossing her arms across her chest. "You knew that I helped Lisette with her lessons as well as Puck," she pointed out, smiling as she knew she had the woman trapped. 

Annoyed, Titania held back her sharp retort and instead focused on the young halfling. "As well as I was... selfish... and did not want such an... intriguing puzzle to leave our shores so soon," she admitted haltingly, encouraged by Lisette's small nod. "And because I knew that my time with you would be short before your clan came for you, I asked my husband and Lord to allow Avalon to run at the same time as the mortal world for this brief period." 

Gasping, Lisette slowly drew back as she shook her head in wonder. "You mean that.. all this time... when I thought that they had forgotten me for so long it had only been..." 

"Five and a half months," Elisa confirmed, nodding her head grimly as she glared at her fellow protector. "And the only reason that it took us this long to get here is that I had.. some complications, in order to get us here in the first place." 

"Complications?" Lisette immediately questioned, concern flooding her as she quickly turned to her detective friend. "What happened? Are you alright?" 

Shaking away Lisette's questions, Elisa instead drew the young woman into a warm hug. "It doesn't matter now," she whispered into her ear, amazed at the wealth of love that she held for a girl that she knew for only a little over a year now. "All that matters is that you're finally coming home... right Titania?" Elisa asked as she pulled away, glaring pointedly at the fae queen as she brushed an errant strand of raven hair from her face. 

"If that is what young Lisette so desires," Titania acknowledged quietly, her words a soft sigh as she tried to hide her disappointment. She had always known that this time would come and had worked hard not to become attached to the child. After all, it didn't take a genius to see the love that Owen held for the girl... if the trickster Puck could hold such affection for a mortal, then she had no doubt that Talika, protector of the human race would share in that feeling.. and she also realized that she would not be able to keep the child for long. But even during that time, despite her strongest acts to the contrary, Titania had grown fond of the young woman. Now, she hated for the time to of arrived. 

At these words, Lisette slowly drew back and tried to fight the confusion that swarmed within her. If this question had only been asked a few mere months ago, her answer would have been instantaneous... but now the doubts gnawed at her. First it had been a deep bitterness and feelings of betrayal as she believed that her clan had allowed years to pass without coming for her, that they had forgotten her... but now, now she knew that only months had passed, during which her clan _couldn't_ come for her. Even now she could see the love and caring that shined in Elisa's chocolate brown eyes, Goliath's dark onyx... and Brooklyn's soft eyes. 

Brooklyn. He was the sole reason that she now hesitated with her decision. Deep in her heart she had _always_ known that Brooklyn's love for her had been true and not just pity for a halfling -- she had more faith in her love than to believe such a thing. But at the same time, Velvet's kind words rang through her mind... 

_"Mayhap he loves you as much as you proclaim... but perhaps in the end he is better off without you.. safer and happier with a gargoyle mate, a gargoyle love that can bare him gargoyle hatchlings and live a normal gargoyle life, not threatened by magic..."_

The thought almost made their pure love look dirty. After all, it was obvious that Goliath and Elisa were meant to be, leaving no question in her mind about that. But because of that love, that meant that the future of the clan rested on Broadway and Angela, Lexington and his future mate, and.... Brooklyn. 

What kind of future life did she and Brooklyn have? She was _way_ too young, only twenty, to be thinking of children and a family, but as Iris and Velvet had pointed out, she _had_ to think of such things. Even if she and Brooklyn were able to _have_ children, the chances were great that any child would inherit her magical prowess... did she have the right to bring such a child into the world? 

She remembered all to well the persecution that she had suffered because of her magic -- she never wanted to wish that upon another. Plus, the humans had trouble enough accepting anything 'different,' namely the gargoyles. If the half gargoyle child also contained the blood of a human and.. magic, then not only would it be a mutt and a hybrid to the humans when outside of its loving home, but to _all_ of the races. She didn't have the right to force this all on Brooklyn! She loved him too much to do that to him! And what if her magic caused him even more trouble?.... she didn't want to hurt him, and even though it would kill her to do so, she knew that if she truly loved him, then she should let him go. Maybe then he would fall in love and mate with a gargoyle... belonging with his own kind. She _had_ no kind of her own -- she belonged to _no_ race. 

"Lisette?" Goliath rumbled slowly, watching as a single tear trickled down her cheek, her blue eyes filled with such sadness that it looked as though she had just lost the most important thing in the world to her. 

Slowly, Lisette raised her eyes and looked at the faces of her clan. She loved them all so very much... how could she reject them? Turning further she glanced at Titania, sensing that the queen wanted her to remain. And then Velvet and Iris... both were such dear friends to her -- her entire network of support on the isle.... she knew what they wanted. And... Brooklyn. Sighing softly, Lisette knew what needed to be done... yet at the same time she felt a wave of selfishness. She knew that she didn't deserve and couldn't have him... but at least she wanted the opportunity to watch him. As much as it would kill her to watch him move on and be happy with another, it would kill her more never to see him again. 

"I will return with my clan," Lisette finally murmured as she moved forward to wrap the queen in a warm hug, surprising the fey. "It is with them that I belong," she whispered into the woman's pointed ear. 

Finding her sadness melt away, Queen Titania nodded slowly as she returned the hug. "I understand," she returned honestly as she pulled away and tenderly pushed a tendril of blond hair away from the young woman's forehead. "But please come back and visit here." 

"I will," Lisette promised, finding herself unable to be angry with the Queen, despite her constant trickery. In the end, she knew that Titania was just doing what she thought was right in order to do the right thing.. not always true, but always following her heart. "And I shall bring Fox with me as well," she whispered conspiratorially, winking broadly at the queen before slowly backing away until she was between Goliath and Elisa, finally feeling at home as the large gargoyle rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

But despite the words spoken, many different thoughts ran through many different minds. While disappointed acceptance shined clearly in Queen Titania's eyes, a troubled smile touched both Goliath and Elisa. Why had she faltered and hesitated? Her actions were that of a stranger while her pain as reminiscent of the young woman that had disappeared from their lives so many months ago. 

Through Brooklyn's mind, however, was a hurt disbelief. The way that she had pulled away from him and her hesitance in wanting to return with them stung deep. He loved her with all of his heart, yet he sensed a distance between them that wasn't there before. Something wasn't right, and as he turned his eyes away from Her, his eyes narrowed on the dark-haired fae that stood beside the strange gargess. He was tall and broad-shouldered, putting him just a few inches below his own height, with curly hair that framed his face, hiding his elfin ears. In human standards, the fae would probably be considered handsome -- but that appearance was ruined by the dark scowl that now lit his face. Sighing, Brooklyn quickly realized that their departure from Avalon was about to get complicated. 

"But Lord Oberon," the strange fey cut in quickly before turning away from his gargess companion, bowing respectfully at the lord of Avalon before nodding back towards the group. "Surely you think not of sending Lisette back to the mortal realm with no means to continue her lessons!" 

Startled, Lisette felt the color drain from her face as she spun towards her friend, her long skirts swirling around her. "Iris!" she gasped, unable to believe his words. Her friend was going to ruin her chance to return to where she belonged! Now that the decision had been made, she wanted nothing more than to return to Manhattan, Angela, and her clan. Ignoring Iris's wink, Lisette felt herself begin to tremble as she turned to regard Oberon with wide, frightened eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of Elisa, Goliath, and Brooklyn returning without her. 

And Brooklyn wasn't about to allow that either. "What are you talking about?" he asked quickly, his eyes flashing white as he moved beside Lisette. "She has Owen and Elisa..." 

"Our Trickster Puck is already encumbered with the teaching of Alexander Xanatos as well as leading the busy life of a mortal," Iris interrupted, trying to soften his words with a small shrug. If all went according to plan, then alienating and angering his angel's clan was the last thing he needed to do. "The life he leads leaves no room for the thorough and advanced teaching that Lisette needs and deserves," he added, smiling as he watched his Lord give a nod to continue. 

"And forgive me if I misspeak," he continued as he gave a slight bow to Elisa and Goliath, "but from what Lisette has spoken, I gather that Talika is equally busy in her balance with her duties as protector of the first race and her pursuit of her mortal life as Detective Elisa Maza... not to mention the raising of her daughter, Hope," he finished, turning to fully take in his lord. 

"But that's ridic--" Elisa started, her hands planted firmly on her hips. 

"Not ridiculous," Lord Oberon interrupted as he slowly pondered the fey's words. "We see your point, Iris... what is it that you suggest?" he questioned, knowing that an alternative motive was _always_ involved when dealing with a child of Oberon. 

Smiling, Iris moved until he was standing on the other side of his angel, ignoring her hurt look of betrayal. "Simply that I join our trickster brother, the Puck, in the mortal realm known as Manhattan as the halfling's teacher," he proclaimed, dropping into a low and sweeping bow. "That is if Goliath and Talika would allow it," he added with a nod in their direction. 

"An intriguing suggestion," Oberon murmured as he settled back in his throne, gently massaging his chin as he pondered the fey's words. The real question was what trick the fey really had in store. "And would Goliath and Lady Talika allow such a thing?" he questioned, turning his attention back to the massive gargoyle and his companion. 

Snorting softly, Goliath turned from the dark fey to stare down into his love's eyes. "Do we really have a choice?" he murmured, so quietly that only her ears could hear, her dark brown eyes windowing his question. 

"Not really," Elisa murmured back, a small frown pulling at her lips. The fey, Iris, was good... he knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. After his words, it would be impossible to leave Avalon on good terms with the Lord and Queen if a teacher was not secured for Lisette. Sighing, Elisa felt a wave of sympathy for the girl that she was beginning to love more and more as a daughter or sister... somehow the life of the young woman was no longer her own, but something that would be led and guided by not only her and Goliath, but now the Lord and Queen of Avalon... and all for Caleb's attack on her and Hope's resurrection. In a way, it all came back to her and the decisions that she made so long ago. 

Shaking away the thoughts, Elisa turned and stared at the fae with hardened eyes, turning back and forth from the trickster to Lisette herself. She had noticed the look of betrayal upon Lisette's face, now replaced with a small smile.... with a start, she realized that the two must be friends. Somehow, that thought worried her as she finally turned back and nodded her consent to Goliath. It was now his choice as it was his clan. 

But upon seeing his love's nod, he knew that his decision had already been made. Their first priority was to get Lisette back to Manhattan and her clan... they would worry about the rest later. "We will allow it, albeit against our better judgment," he stated, already thinking over the consequences of having not just one, but two fae and their treachery to deal with. 

Trying to hide his smile, Iris quickly nodded his agreement as all of the pieces of his plan began falling into place. Plan A had been that with all that he and Velvet had been feeding his Angel, she would not even want to return to Manhattan... Plan B had quickly gone into effect when that proved impossible. Now, with his travel to the world with his Angel secured, only one piece of the plan remained to be seen. Turning, he quickly nodded at Velvet, the dark gargess seemingly lost in her own world as her gaze traveled slowly over the brick-red gargoyle that Lisette had spoken so much about. 

"Then it is decided," Oberon decreed, his face taking on the look of impassive boredom that constantly defined his personae. "The halfling shall return to the mortal realm with her clan provided that Iris accompany them and provide lessons...." 

"Wait," another voice called out, causing Brooklyn to sigh in frustration as he wondered what obstacle would be thrown in their path this time. Whoever would have thought a simple retrieval mission could be so complicated? Turning, he felt his eyes widen in surprise as the dark gargess, so quiet up to this point, quickly stepped forward until she was standing before Goliath, her head bowed low and her midnight black hair hiding her eyes. 

"Who are you?" Goliath questioned, curiosity getting the better of him as he looked down at the young gargess. "I have not seen you on Avalon before." That fact simply surprised him. It was obvious that the gargess was one of the hatchlings of his clan, but he had thought that he had met all of the eggs when he had returned to Avalon so many times before. Where had she been hiding all this time? 

"My name is Velvet, and I am a part of Avalon's clan... of your clan," she murmured, her voice soft and smooth like the velvet that composed her skin as her dark eyes raised up to meet Goliath's. "I, like my rookery sister Angela, am curious about the world beyond Avalon's shores. My friend, Lisette, has told me much of your world and I am eager to join your world with my sister... if you would permit it." 

Surprised at her words, Goliath slowly turned away from the dark gargess and looked over to Lisette, not missing the soft smile that touched her lips. "Lisette?" he questioned, feeling that it was about time that at least some of this was explained. 

"Goliath, Elisa... Brooklyn," she murmured, smiling weakly as she nodded at each in turn as she moved to stand between Velvet and Iris. "I would like for you to meet Velvet and Iris, my closest friends here on Avalon," she said, not bothering to add that they were her _only_ friends here on Avalon. 

Before anyone could respond, Queen Titania slowly stepped forward, an elfin smile touching her lips. "Then it has all worked for the better," she proclaimed, not missing Talika's glare in her direction. "Lisette has recuperated from her wounds on our isle and has made amazing progress with her studies. And now, she returns to her home with the friends that she has made here... a fitting ending, wouldn't you say?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at her old friend. 

Sighing, Elisa knew that she was in no position to point out the fact that Lisette had been held on the isle against her will, torn away from her loved ones, while the clan and the young mage suffered because of the Queen's trickery. "Perhaps," was her sighed reply as she turned back to Goliath. They had who they had come for, and even though they did pick up a little extra baggage along the way she was sure that Xanatos could spare the room at the castle. 

Smiling, she turned and watched as Brooklyn reclaimed his position beside Lisette, Iris standing on her other side as Velvet kept her eyes locked on Brooklyn's turned back. Sighing, Elisa quickly shook her head... on second thought, maybe the added two would be trouble. 

Then, before another word could be spoken or before another person stepped forth, Goliath quickly and easily lifted Elisa into his arms, cradling her against his massive chest as he stepped closer to the gathering of travelers. He knew that Elisa's strength was already beginning to wan... after all, she had only been out of her coma for a little while and had only been in therapy for even less -- her atrophied muscles still needed time to recuperate. Turning, he nodded at the queen as the group gathered around him. 

Picking up his cue, Lisette motioned for the group to gather closer as she eyed Elisa wearily. She didn't miss the way that Goliath held her so protectively... something was wrong, and the minute that they got back to Manhattan, she was going to find out what, for once and for all... if she didn't have to deal with something else instead. Shaking her head, Lisette focused on the queen of Avalon as the fey quickly gathered her magic around them, wrapping it in soft strands around the group until they were shielded in its green magnificence. She was finally going home... 

* * *

Castle Wyvern, Manhattan 

Sighing, Angela felt her warm breath lift strands of her dark brown hair from her face, thrown back to settle on the thick braid. Biting her lip, she turned away from the spot that had held her attention for the last hour or so and instead looked up into Broadway's warm eyes. "I should have gone with," she murmured, blinking back tears as he gently squeezed her hand, wary of squeezing too hard. But then again, after months and months of having to deal with her in this strange human form, the gargoyle was getting used to it. 

Smiling, Broadway quickly shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her, ignoring everyone else. "Elisa was still too weak to take us all," he answered quickly, shrugging his shoulders. "And there was no way that Brooklyn would have let any of us go in his place...." 

"I know," Angela interrupted, shaking her head quickly as she turned to glance back at the empty courtyard of the castle. Only a mere hour had passed since her father, Elisa, and Brooklyn had left for Avalon... in Avalon, that meant that even less time had passed. She needed to learn patience, but the thought of finally seeing Lisette again, the closest person she ever had of being a best friend, was too exciting for her to just wait patiently. 

Turning, she watched as Lexington played with Alex and Hope, his actions seeming more mechanical than heartfelt. Even Hope and Alex seemed to understand the excitement as they regarded their toys half-heartedly, their eyes instead jumping back and forth to the faces of the adults that paced nervously on the hard granite. 

But to Angela, it was Owen and Fox that seemed the most anxious for the return of their friends... and who would be more fitting? While Lisette had helped with Alex for the time that she had been at Wyvern, he was so young that it was difficult for him to truly understand all that was happening. And Hope... well the poor little girl didn't even _know_ Lisette! She only met her once, and that was when she sent Lisette and the others to Avalon to save Puck. And as for Hudson... shaking her head, Angela couldn't help the smile that touched her face. Hudson tried to act gruff and noncommittal as he leaned against the outside wall, but Angela knew that he was excited for the return of their clan member. 

There was no one that wasn't affected by Lisette's disappearance and all were eager to see her return. The same went with Xanatos, Lexington, and even Broadway... but with Fox and Owen it was a different story. From the way that Lisette had spoken of Fox, Angela knew that she cared deeply for the woman, considering both her and Elisa to be like older sisters or the mother that she never knew. And it took just one look at Fox's face to see that the love was returned. And Owen.. well, one had to be blind to not see the love that he held for her friend. He wasn't just her teacher... he was her protector and friend. And now if only Lisette would return to where she belonged... to her true home. 

Sighing, Angela quickly closed her eyes, gently pulling away from her love as she pressed sharp fingers into the soft skin at her temples, willing away the headache that was beginning to form. "Lisette," she sighed as she turned her head away, only catching the sharp flash of green from the corner of her eyes. 

"Ang-" Broadway broke off, his attention riveted on the spot that had remained empty for so long, his words cut off as his love turned quickly, her smile brightening instantly as hope etched across her face. 

"Lisette?" she whispered quietly, tears already pooling in her eyes as the green mist slowly cleared away, revealing her father's tall form, Elisa by his side... and Brooklyn and Lisette standing beside them. "_LISETTE!!!_" Angela screamed, causing Broadway to jump back in surprise as she pushed past him and the others, launching herself into the young woman's arms, falling to the ground in a pile of limbs. 

Lisette had finally come home. 

* * *

Minutes later, as the crowd slowly parted away and gave the young halfling room to breathe, the two new guests were finally noticed. 

"Velvet?" Angela asked in amazement, her eyes crinkling in confusion as she took in the dark gargess that stood quietly beside a tall fey she had never before seen. 

"And Iris?" Owen asked, a flash of suspicion crossing his face before it was hidden just as quickly beneath a mask of indifference. "What are you doing here?" 

"Oh!" Lisette gasped, a startled smile lifting her lips as a small blush stained her cheeks. In the excitement of seeing everyone again she had nearly forgotten about her friends. "Everyone, I would like for you to meet Iris and Velvet," she quickly announced as she gestured towards her friends. 

Ignoring her words, Owen curtly shook his head. "I know who he is, but what I want to know is what he's doing here," he answered back, surprising the Clan with his answer. 

"Well.. he's my friend," Lisette answered back, frowning at her mentor. "He and Velvet both.... they were all that I had while on Avalon," she whispered, turning to cast her eyes to the ground as Angela gently squeezed her shoulder. 

Feeling her pain as though it was his own, Iris quickly stepped forward and bowed theatrically before the odd assortment of humans and gargoyles. "And since Velvet was curious about this Manhattan that Lisette spoke so highly about, and because she needed a new teacher, we decided to join your little band of misfits," he added, smirking at his brother, seeing easily through the human disguise. 

"And we welcomed them here," Goliath added quietly, his voice rumbling above the others as he frowned at his clan, almost daring them to question the strangers' presence. And, like a good clan, no more questions were asked. 

"Well then, Iris an' Velvet, we welcome ye ta Castle Wyvern," Hudson replied for them all. 

* * *

Hours later, the past has been retold and all had been caught up on the events that had transpired during Lisette's absence. The new friends has been introduced and suspicions had been sent aside. Now, as the night began to wan the others slowly drifted away, Angela led her clan sister Velvet away from the group, eager to hear of her home even as Owen did likewise with Iris, stepping out of the cold and biting wind and into the warmth of the castle. 

Taking his cue, Brooklyn followed suit as he gently grasped Lisette's small arm, stopping her from joining the others. But even as her eyes slid away from his, he read the unease that shined in her bright blue orbs... an unease that mingled with the deep sadness that had penetrated her being for so very long. Shaking his head, Brooklyn bit down on his resolve and gently pulled her away from the doors to the Great Hall and lead her back into what used to be the gardens -- now nothing more than a pile of withered vegetation, the cold season working its deathly magic upon the beautiful flowers. 

No words were spoken -- none needed to be said as they disappeared from their friends, their absence noted by only a few. And then, they were alone, the dark night broken only by the bright moon that shone so high above them, illuminating the spot that during the summer had spoken of so much love.. now only speaking of death and destruction.. a place of melancholy. The perfect setting.

_I knew that this moment would come in time..._

With guarded eyes, Brooklyn gently turned Lisette until he stood before her, lifting her chin with one taloned hand until his eyes locked with her own. "What's happened?" he asked slowly, his dark eyes piercing into her own, probing her in the way that only he could.

_That I'd have to let you go and watch you fly..._

"What... what do you mean?" Lisette stuttered as she nervously toyed with a long strand of her pale blond hair. Even as the words left her lips Lisette choked on the lie; she knew exactly what he was referring to. How could she not? And how could she possibly prevent this from destroying her very heart?

_Are you searching for words that you can't find?_

His eyes narrowing on her uncharacteristic fidgeting, Brooklyn slowly caped his wings around his shoulders. "What's happened between us? What's changed?" he asked, not knowing whether to draw her into his arms or to back away, cringing at the accusing note that he heard in his own voice.. the pleading. 

"I..." Lisette began weakly, fighting the tears that seeked to brim her eyes, her throat burning with the strain of withholding the sobs that were waiting to break forth.

_Trying to hide your emotions but eyes don't lie..._

"There's a distance between us that wasn't there before," he whispered hollowly, begging her with his eyes to deny what he sensed... what he saw. And as though he was fulfilling a well-worn part in some long-ago written tragedy, Brooklyn watched as his love straightened, her gaze shuttered.

_Guess there's no easy way to say goodbye._

"I am sorry," she whispered, meaning those words with every part of her being, "but I no longer love you," she lied, feeling her heart shatter even as she watched Brooklyn's eyes become dead and hardened. 

"I see," was his tightly whispered response, holding his wave of torment under a tight fist of pain as he turned stiffly away, never seeing the hot tears that streaked down Lisette's face or the hand that unwillingly reached for his departing back -- never knowing that she regretted the words the minute that they left her mouth... never knowing that she could never take them back and that they were not her own. His pain was all that he knew. 

* * *

As her torment built around her, Lisette lashed out with her magicks from the tallest tower of Wyvern, sending the waves crashing into the city even as they tore through the Heavens above.

_So I'll be standing at the edge of the earth_  
_Hoping that someday you'll come back again_

Soon, the deep rumble of thunder wracked the city as thick, dark black clouds swarmed over the night sky, blocking the view of the Moon and Stars above.

_I'll be standing at the edge of the earth waiting for someday_

Closing her eyes, Lisette's senses wrapped around the growing storm, her slim form a bare silhouette against the deep backdrop, the stark cold from the stones of the tower seeping into her slippered feet as the fierce winds tore at her burgundy dress, making a whirlwind with her loosely flowing hair.

_I don't want to let you leave this way_

Then, as the acrid scent of the storm reached its peak, a single peal of bright lightning ripped through the sky and crashed into the rocks behind her. As her blue eyes snapped open, the Heavens opened up above her, drowning her in cold sleets of rain that weighted down her dress, molding it to her form as her hair became plastered to her face.

_And I know this may be_  
_The very last time that we see each other cry_

But more importantly, the torrential rain hid her tears. How amazing it was to her that a love that had been so carefully built, blossoming slowly into a beautiful rose.. could be so easily destroyed with one small phrase. All that they had built together had been ended with that single sentence. How could something so beautiful and perfect have been destroyed so easily, in one single moment?

_I'll be standing at the edge of the earth_  
_Hoping for someday_

As the deep sobs wracked her small body, Lisette controlled the storm with a wild abandon, the thunder booming around her as she displayed her pain the only way she knew how. She had lost her love and the blame was her own.

_Waiting for someday, Believing in someday_  
_Praying for someday, I'll be..._  
_Longing for someday, Clinging to someday_  
_Cherishing someday, I'll be..._  
_Thinking of someday, Dreaming of someday_  
_Wishing for someday, I'll be..._  
_Living for someday, Counting on someday_

She had caused this heartache... it was her fault. For truly the first time, it was _her fault_. He was gone... 

Throwing her head back, Lisette's scream ripped through the dark night sky, mingling with the loud crash of thunder as she fell to her knees, heedless of the sharp stone that bit through her dress and extended her arms out to either side of her, her head tilted back as the water washed over her in rivulets. He was gone. 

* * *

Gasping as a loud rumble shook the castle walls, Elisa tore her eyes away from the new guests and turned dark eyes towards the door that led out into the courtyard. Instantly tears stung her eyes as she stepped closer to Goliath, feeling his arm instinctively wrap around her and pull her closer as she lifted Hope into her arms, breathing in the child's familiar and comforting scent. "Lisette," she murmured quietly, her eyes slipping shut. 

Unnoticed, one other pair of eyes followed Elisa's towards the door, mischievous glee shining forth from his dark eyes as he nodded at the dark gargess that stood beside him. And so it began.

**THE END**


End file.
